TRON: Downfall
by ArkhamGirl
Summary: "Whatever you plan to do... I cope with any opponent you send after me." 144 cycles have passed since the Purge. CLU controls the Grid. When the program Susan Gifford leads off the fight against the oppression with the help of old as well as new friends, she isn't quite aware of the extent of the fight she begins with herself thereby... Sequel of "TRON: Ascension" Zuse/OC, OC/OC
1. 1 New Born

_**Author's Note: WELCOME! Both to those who have already read the first part of the story and those who didn't... But I have to say shame on you to the latter. Nah, maybe not shame on you but I would recommend you to read the first part since there're many things in the second one you wouldn't understand.**_

_**And now I just wanna say ENJOY AND REEEEVIIIIIIEEW (I want them, I want Reviews, GIMME REVIEWS *_*)**_

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/New Born/**

"You're nuts!"  
She sat at the roadside and drank from a little bottle. Together with a black-haired male program, she watched two others, that stood in front of them and argued.  
"You don't know anything!"  
"No, you don't know anything! Codd beats Aydar easily, face it!"  
The one next to her rolled his eyes. She grinned and sipped on the bottle.  
"Aydar would trick Codd, so that he can't tell up and down!"  
The other snorted. "Bullshit! Let someone else decide. Arris?" He looked at her. "Who would win in a disc fight: Aydar or Codd?"  
All eyes were on her.  
Susan sighed. "Codd."  
One of them laughed loudly. "Whooho! Didn't I tell you?"  
Then the argument began again.  
"Oh man...", Susan whispered.  
"Do you want to leave? I can't stand these idiots anymore."  
She nodded gladly and the black-haired program helped her get up.  
His name was Kyto. He was a mechanic-program. Susan had met him approximately 63 cycles after the Purge. She already lived here on the streets of the lower levels of Tron City for 144 cycles. There were no wanted lists anymore, however she and many others were wanted though, but not specifically by name, but generally all revolts.  
Most of them expressed oneself by not wearing discs since there was the rumour that CLU let them be controlled, which wasn't proven. Susan did not consider it true, wore no disc nevertheless, as a symbol of resistance. Though they had to hide since sentries patrolled through the streets with their recognizers and if you were caught without a disc, you were sent to the arena with no ifs, no buts, where you had to fight against programs, whom you might already had fun with. And all other programs around were thrilled about these friend-fights.  
Fortunately, none of her friends had been caught by now. Acquaintances, yes, but no friends. Although Susan could not pride herself on having many friends. Mistrust prevailed on the streets, too much hatred that one could actually catch nice programs, let alone making friends. Kyto was the only one that she knew quite well and would probably declare as a friend.  
Nevertheless, if she thought back to the times when friendship had been something completely different.  
She sometimes had to think of her formerly best friend Kevin Flynn. Most programs thought that he was dead since he was nowhere to be found since the Purge. Susan strongly hoped that that wasn't true, but she could not be sure.  
Also, she oftenly devoted thoughts to Tron, to the good old times with him, the times, when they had had fun together. His death really cracked her, but she had to move on. But she couldn't avoid it to remember him when she did the training exercises he showed her a long time ago, and since she worked out every day, she had to think of him quite often.  
Though not even half as often as she was thinking of him. Of Zuse. Constantly tags of memories creeped into her mind, some tiny detail, and then she always was really out of it. When he'd left her, she had been all alone and sometimes she wished she had never let him go. The longer she lived here, the more obvious it became. This place was not for Zuse. He would survive easily, clearly, but he wouldn't be happy here. But was he actually happy wherever he was now? Susan had no idea where he was. There had even been a time when she had thought he was dead, but then she began to listen to the people. After a while she recognised that these programs on the streets regarded him as a legend. They talked about him filled with awe, since he not only survived the Purge as someone who defended the ISOs, but also because of the rumour that he had managed to let douzens of User-believing programs disappear, get them to a save place without any trouble. He had broken the law only to rescue those programs, wherefore one actually received severe punisment, maybe even deresolution, though he had been so good in whatever he did, that he couldn't have been caught. He could get anyone, anywhere, they said.  
Susan always had to smirk when she heard how they talked about him.  
However, everytime she heard his name, some kind of electric shock flashed through her. She always felt way better instantly. After they seperated she only recognised how good of friends they had been. He had saved her life in the Outlands and also prevented her from a total psychological crash. He was the best friend one could imagine. He had supported her and liked her how she was. Like she did too.  
Nonetheless, before she gave her disc away, she had changed her outfit. Immediately, she had removed the pink hair that was now about shoulder-length and black. Her black suit, whereon her old circuitry mark, the little triangle, gleamed in white, was tight and practical, a real fighting suit, which was advantageous to her daily training. Some programs that knew her were wondering why she was so good in fighting, but she just always answered that she had helped system sentries in the past, then they mostly didn't ask anymore.  
Today she wanted to do her training exercises too.  
After Kyto had taken them away from these squabblers, Susan immediately took a baton and her own energy built a blade out of it. Susan had to laugh sometimes since this thing reminded her of a lightsaber from Star Wars.  
"Tell me...", Kyto said while watching her exercising. "Why are you not participating the games? You know, 'who wins, survives' and you would definitely win. Then you'd become famous and you would have a better life..."  
She laughed. "I don't think so. CLU certainly wouldn't release a revolutionary after a fight. I mean, habe you ever seen one of our people coming back, after the Recognizer caught them?"  
"No... But maybe they just didn't want to come back, didn't want to live here any longer after they had  
"Tell us another, Kyto... By the way, sounds like you'd like to be elsewhere too."  
"You can't blame me for that, do you?", he murmured.  
"It's better than deresolution."  
He gave her an angry look. "You think I couldn't make it in the arena?"  
"We're doing this again?"  
It annoyed her. Sometimes Kyto pretended he was born to do heroic deeds, as if he was the only one who could change something about the situation with CLU. Though he was not like that at all. If worst came to worst, he would hide. He was a coward against his will. He would like to mean something, she knew that, but his fear stood in his way.  
So Susan took care that he didn't put himself rashly in trouble. She looked after him without showing it too openly.  
"Kyto, listen. You have a brave heart, but most of those who are brought to the arena have already derezzed someone. If one has extra bad luck, they are trained sentries. I really don't think that you and I would have a chance there, noone here would have one."  
He looked away. "Do you know that you sometimes sound like a User, Arris?"  
"Oh... um, really?", she laughed.  
He continued watching her, but then his looks went to a little group of girls that just went past them.  
"Go.", Susan whispered in amusement.  
He smirked and nodded. When he reached the girls, Susan casually looked over to them to see how her friend was doing. Appearently he got on well with these programs.  
"And what do you do for a living?", she heard him say.  
"We work as waitresses."  
"Here in this district? Then you must meet some really bad guys!"  
They laughed. "No. We're here to buy some spare parts for the light cycle of a friend. Normally we're not hang out in such... districts. We're working in the End Of Line Club."  
Susan snorted.  
For about 100 cycles an exclusiv club existed in Downtown that was called the End Of Line. When she heard about it the first time, her heart had made a leap since she thought that Zuse had made it again. However, she then heard that the club was under a program called Castor. Thenceforth she had been out of sorts with this club, since she find it scabrous to steal the idea of a club that had been destroyed during the Purge. End Of Line had implied safety back then, safety for ISOs and their friends, though, now everyone could go there, even sentries, as long as one had the right connections. Susan had heard programs talking about how difficult it is to get in if you're 'just' a normal program from the lower levels. One had to mean something. Or somehow keep in with this Castor. Susan had never seen him and not heard that much of him yet, only that he had to be a quite new program, probably written shortly before the Purge, but she didn't like him though. How could someone abuse the name of the former club of her friend? Susan would have liked to see Zuse's reaction when he himself had heard of this club in Downtown. She could imagine him going there and then having so much to complain about the whole club that he would get thrown out right away. But in Susan's opinion he would have grumbled quite rightly. No club could be better than Zuse's End Of Line.  
Kyto had an other opinion.  
"Really? THE End Of Line Club? WOW! I've always wanted to go there, but I think I wouldn't be allowed in..."  
The girls smiled seductively. "Well, if you help us getting these spare parts, we can take you with us and tell Castor that you belong to us. You don't look bad so he certainly would let you in."  
"That'd be awesome! What do you need?"  
Susan didn't want to listen anymore.  
Great. Kyto let them wrap him around their finger. Did he really buy that they would take him, a bog-standard mechanic from the lower levels, to the most famous club on the Grid? They only used him and he didn't even notice it. But this was bis business. She would just be the one who consoled him or helped him out of a fix, in she had to.  
Suddenly she heard Kyto calling her. Puzzled she looked over to him. He beckoned her over. Hesitantly she came to the little group.  
"Heeey..."  
"Girls, this is Arris. She can help us get these spare parts. She really knows this place, don't you my friend?"  
He habe her a pleading look and she gave in. "Yyyyeah, sure. Kyto, can I talk to you for a nanocycle?"  
She pulled him behind a corner.  
"What's happening here?"  
"Well... These girls need spare parts for a light cycle."  
"I got that. But why do you need me? You're the mechanic here!"  
He bashfully looked away. "These parts they need... well um... they aren't really legal, you know, such upgrades that CLU doesn't permit to have and you can't buy them anywhere, sooooo..."  
Her eyes widened. "No. No! I definitely won't go stealing with you, only that you can flirt a bit in this End Of Line dive! Besides, are you really that stupid to think that this Downtown-freak Castor would let you, a revolutionary without disc, in his club? They're shitting you!"  
He sighed. "You always see everything so negatively!"  
"Because I experienced a lot of negative things. You can't trust these girls."  
"Arris, pleeeeeeease! Maybe they're shtting me, but maybe they don't. And if not I don't want to miss the opportunity! C'mon, nothing can happen! You once showed me that you can do it..."  
"We nearly got derezzed back then just because you wanted to get a light roadster for some bitch!"  
"Pf, that's an old hat already. But can't just do me this one favor? Pleeease! I'm your friend, or am I not?"  
He looked at her with big eyes. He reminded Susan of the rabbit she once had as a User, before her grandfather cooked him for dinner. She didn't feel pity for Kyto at all, otherwise she exactly knew that he would do it without her too and then he'd definitely get into trouble.  
"Alright, I'll help you..."  
"YES! You're the best! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" He planted a kiss on her cheek.  
"Hey, don't overdo it, man!", she laughed, wiped off the moisture from her face and sighingly went over to the girls who grinned at her happily.

* * *

The streets were empty.  
Susan, Kyto and the girls quietly sneaked down an alley, where Susan knew was a data depot, where one could download any spare parts. As far as one got in.  
"It feels so forbidden!", one of the girls giggled.  
"It is.", Susan said coldly.  
"What's wrong with her?", the girl whispered to Kyto as Susan tried to hack into the back entrance.  
"Oh, she's just a bit tensed 'cause this is so illegal. Normally she's really cool!"  
There was a *BLUM* and the door opened with a hiss.  
"Okay, get in, but don't make a damn sound!", Susan ordered.  
They obeyed.  
Inside everything was dark and silent.  
They had to search a long time for an input where they could download the upgrade and Susan slowly became nervous. She looked around again and again. What they were doing there was a bad idea. They had to hurry.  
Finally Kyto discovered the input. One of the young women gave him a little cube and he synchronised it. On the screen that suddenly flared up he chose the wanted data. When he was finished he gave the cube back and they sneaked out of the building again.  
Outside one of the girls said: "That was so nice of both of you!" She turned to Susan. "Don't you want to get in the club too?"  
"No, thanks."  
"All right. Well... We'll go now. But we promise to talk to Castor and then we'll come back to pick you up, okay?"  
Kyto smiled and nodded.  
The girls said "Bye!" with one voice and disappeared quickly.  
Susan stood there with folded arms.  
"Bye!" Kyto waved after the girls with a wide smile. "We won't ever see them again, right?"  
"Nope.", Susan answered, grinning.  
He sighed. "I'm sorry..."  
"Nevermind. Nothing happened so everything's alright. Let's just go back, I don't want to stay here."  
While walking he looked at her. Kyto really considered himself lucky that he had a friend like her in such dark times. She protected him and was always at his side.  
He abruptly stood still.  
"What's wrong?", Susan asked.  
"I forgot something."  
"Huh?"  
"Oh, holy User!" He put his head in his hands. "Remember, I kept your light baton while you're training... I gave it to one of he girls so that I could move better at the download-console..."  
"WHAT? Do you know how much it means to me?!"  
"I'm sorry! I'll get it back immediately!"  
He ran back the way they just came from.  
"Where are you going? They're gone, you damn idiot!"  
"I'll catch them! No worries, just stay here, I'll be right back!"  
"Idiot...", she whispered angrily.  
How could he treat her stuff so carelessly? It seems that he had no idea how important her light baton was to her. She'd know she couldn't trust him with it.  
She irately paced up and down.  
In her furious state she didn't even notice that a load roar sounded in a distance. Only when screams resounded in the streets she got ripped out of her thoughts.  
Suddenly she was fully concentrated.  
She ran down the street and turned in where Kyto had done it too. Again to the right and... she stopped dead in her tracks.  
In front of her on the wide street a recognizer just took off. Inside of it she saw Kyto and other programs, pinned by a luminous mounting around their feet.  
She quickly reached to her back but there was nothing. Without a disc she would not be able to stop them. She desparately looked up. Kyto had a terrified expression on his face and formed the word "Help" with his lips. But she couln't do anything.  
The recognizer was already in full height and slowly floated away with a load roar.  
Her heart was racing.  
It had happened so fast. She had not been able to do anything. Though it was her fault. If she had just not let him go, if she had just come with him, Kyto could have been saved. But she let him down.  
For a long time she just stood there, gazing after the recognizer. Then she sat down and put her head in her hands. Think. Think. And finally she came to a decision.


	2. 2 Rise of Arris

**_Author's note: Here we go :D Action begins hehe, just a little note: the Daft Punk soundtrack supports the atmosphere here, you will know which tracks :)_**

**_Enjoy and REVIEEEEW PLEEEEASE_**

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/Rise of Arris/**

"_FLYNN'S_"  
The name flaunted on the building in big letters. It looked like the real arcade inthronisiert User-world. Here Lasercontrol brought Users when they came to the Grid. Here the new Susan has been born. Here everything began.  
She looked at the entrance doors. Everything seemed so familiar.  
She remembered the moment well when she, an ill User, had pushed the doors open with the last of her strength. Now Susan put her hand on the handle and effortlessly opened the door. She had been so weak back then. She had been emaciated, all skin and bone, whereas now her body looked athletic and well-shaped, better than it did even in her best days as a User.  
And she had been mentally weak. Not like now, as she not even shed a tear about her friend's capture. Mourning wouldn't do any good, actions would.  
Around her stood several slot machines that were covered with plastic sheets. There was no light, no music in here. Everything was silent and dark.  
As Susan was walking through the big room, memories lived up in her mind. How she had played her first arcade game here, how she had always tried to break Flynn's highscore, or how she had collapsed here with her own blood on her hands. She hasn't seen blood for almost 450 cycles, but she could clearly remember how it had felt between her fingers and tasted before she had coughed it out.  
She stopped in front of one special slot machine. It was far easier to push it aside than she remembered. She opened the door behind it, slowly strolled down the stairs until she reached a room.  
Here, on the ground right in front of her, it had happened. Here she had been born again.  
Susan squatted down and gently ran her hand over where it had happened.  
Her heart sank.  
Maybe Susan should have died before she could have made the copy, then so much suffering of her could have been prevented. Alan, the ISOs, Flynn, Tron, Kyto, Zuse. They were all gone. Some dead, some unreachable.  
She closed her eyes.  
She had nothing to lose. She would rather find Kyto or just get derezzed. Both were acceptable outcomes of her plan.  
Susan didn't have to wait long. So many sentries patroled here in Downtown. Soon she perceived the awaited roar and the room was suffused with orange light.  
The time has come.  
Quickly she left the arcade and moved to the middle of the wide street.  
Suddenly she got illuminated from above.  
All bits of her body were alarmed, tried to make her flee. Everything inside her struggled against her plan, but she would not give up. She had to find Kyto, even if this meant that she had to surrender the system sentries.  
The recognizer landed directly in front of her. Two sentry programs stepped off, approaching her. They grabbed her upper arms.  
"The program has no disc, another stray.", one of them growled.  
They dragged her over to the recognizer and put her between two other programs, where her feet got enclosed by a white gleaming rod.  
The recognizer took off and Susan closed her eyes.  
She was not afraid of flying anymore, she enjoyed it. Beneath her the floor vibrated as the recognizer flew higher and higher. It felt like a dream. An extremely realistic dream.  
When she lifted her lids again, she laid her eyes on the Grid in full bloom. She had not seen it like that for such a long time. Colourful lights flew around everywhere and further afar was the huge arena that was now even bigger than before the Purge. Everything was bigger than before. In the middle of Downtown stood a tremendous tower, higher than anything Susan had seen before, at the top of which a bright light shone.  
Other recognizers flew by and formed a queue.  
She shook her head and smiled.  
No. She wouldn't give up without fighting. This world was, after all what happened, beautiful and Susan didn't want to leave it. She didn't know what was in store for her, but she would try to prevent getting derezzed with all her strength. Cost what it may.

* * *

After the recognizer had landed, a sentry program approached her and the others. He stopped in front of the first on the far left of the row and scanned him.  
"Rectify.", he finally said in a deep electronic voice.  
Susan frowned. The program seemed to be relieved about what the sentry said. "Hey, you. What's 'rectify'?", she asked a female program next to her whisperingly.  
"I don't know, but it's surely better than deresolution in the arena..."  
"Rectify.", the sentry repeated at the next one. And at the next.  
Then he stopped in front of Susan.  
It felt like an eternity. What was the meaning of 'rectify'. What would happen to her? She wasn't prepared for that.  
The sentry looked up. "Games."  
The others in the row looked at her.  
Two sentries grabbed her arms and dragged her to a little platform, where she got pinned again and which suddenly sank into the ground at a high speed. When it braked, Susan looked around.  
She was in a dark room. Only she was lighted brightly.  
Suddenly four capsules around her opened with a hiss. Female programs stepped out of them. Beautiful programs in tight white suits and high heels, that now tottered over to her in stiff but elegant movements.  
'Sirens.', Susan thought.  
She remembered them. She had seen them equipping other fighters before the Purge, whereas she and Tron had always equipped themselves.  
The sirens stood around her closely. Their gaze made Susan nervous.  
"She only needs the combat upgrades.", one behind her said.  
Two sirens walked off and came back with black tiles. A white-haired one, the one behind her, came forward now, stopped in front of her and pressed one of those tiles to her chest, that now spread together with the others, which were pressed to her armes and her back, over her whole body and formed a fighting suit like Susan always wanted but never knew how to program. It was such a suit that Tron had worn, light but steady against hits, but obviously designed for female combatants.  
Again one of the sirens went off. Susan looked at the white-haired one, who slighlty smiled at her. He had extremely bright eyes, much like Zuse, wore black makeup around her eyes, what emphasized the eye colour, and had the longest lashes Susan had ever seen.  
"_Attention, program_.", a female voice resounded through the room. "_You will receive an Identity Disc. Everything you do or learn will be imprinted on this disc. If you lose your disc or fail to follow commands, you will be subject to immediate deresolution._"  
The siren came back with a disc and handed it to one behind Susan. The white-haired one nodded to her and Susan felt how she put the disc into the input on her back. Immediately, a short prickling ran through her body, as if electric current flowed through her.  
"Mirroring complete, disc activated and synchronized. Proceed to games.", the white-haired one said, still looking at Susan.  
The sirens tottered backwards into their capsules which closed again and Susan got released.  
In front of her was a bright light and she knew exactly where it would lead to. Determined, she walked up to the light.  
She reached a little box out of something like glass. She recognised other programs in boxes around her. Neutral programs, User-believers... Everything participated. But that was immaterial now.  
There she perceived a quiet pounding, like a heart beat.  
Susan took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  
'_Awareness, patience, velocity, stamina..._' She recalled her training lessons with Tron. This was no game anymore. She had to do everything to survive.  
The floor beneath her began to vibrate and she opened her eyes again.  
The boxes with the combatants in them floated upwards and the pounding became louder. Directly above them the ceiling opened and revealed the tremendous stadium and the thousands of spectators.  
The cheering was defeaning.  
The boxes came to their position, while the countless programs called in chorus: "DISC WARS! DISC WARS! DISC WARS!"  
"_All combatants, prepare for disc wars_.", the female voice declared.  
Susan glanced around as she steps from her little box into a bigger one.  
An other box floated over to hers. Therein stood a tall program with light-blue circuitry colour. She knew him. She had seen him a few times on the streets.  
This should be her first opponent? A refugee with the same views? Could she really fight someone like that?  
When the box came to a stop opposite to hers, Susan hesitated.  
Her opponent did not. He took his disc from his back, while she was just shaking her head lightly. After a moment, that seemed like an eternity to her, he just looked at her with a grim expression.  
Suddenly he threw his disc at her and she dodged fast by simply putting her right foot back and turning her shoulder to the side.  
No. This really was no game anymore.  
Susan watched with attentive gaze how the thrown disc flew back into the hand of its owner. He looked as grim as before and waited.  
"You really want that, huh?", she said with a slight grin. "Alright. Let's... play." She took her own disc from her back and a helmet formed around her head. "May the best win."  
Then she quickly threw her disc at him, who parried it off and shot his at her. She dodged with a backflip, caught her disc and dashed forward. She jumped up high, deflected another attempt of the opponent and landed with her disc directly on his head, so that it got cleaved under her and crumbled into little cubes.  
"_Combatant 6, victory_"  
The masses cheered.  
Susan took a deep breath, stood up and waited patiently. She was surprised by herself, but also delighted. She hadn't forgotten anything.  
With an icy look she watched the next, whose box was approaching hers.  
His circuitry colour was soft green, just like Kyto's, but Susan was not deterred by that.  
She hesitated no second and shot her disc at full tilt, not at him but a bit to the side, so that it bounced of the glass-like wall and ran off, while the other only threw his own disc. With a jump she dodged it, rushed over the right wall, got over the gap between the boxes thereby and kicked the program's back. It flew to the middle of the boxes, slid to the gap and fell through it, whereby it derezzed with a last outcry when it hit a box under theirs with its head, while Susan just caught her own disc.  
"_Combatant 6, victory_"  
Cheers everywhere around her.  
Though Susan couldn't concentrate on it. There were 2 other programs for her that needed to be defeated.  
The next was easy. She checkmated the female program effortlessly and quickly, but the last was a bit more difficult to erase. But only in comparison to the others, not for Susan. He was good, but she was better.  
Her disc soon gored him too.  
"_Combatant 6, victory_"  
The masses screamed their excitement out loud.  
She defeated them all. Of 16 she had been the best. Would she get free now?  
'Who wins, survives', it is said, but Susan had always doubted it.  
Suddenly the boxes changed and quickly fused to one big box with 4 corners.  
And in each corner stood a sentry now.  
"_Initiate final round_"  
Susan sighed. 'So obvious this wouldn't be going down in a fair way.', she thought. That had probably been the reason why she had never seen any of her acquaintances again. Even if they managed to annihilate all opponents they would eventually have to battle trained sentries against whom they were chanceless. But Susan wasn't. She had indulged in training as well. The best training one could go through. She was absolutely sure that none of these programs had ever trained with Tron, but she had.  
No, Susan would not die today. She wouldn't let that happen.  
Observingly, she turned around her own axis to keep everything in her line of sight. The sentries pulled out light batons at the end of which orange light rays shone, so that they looked like various kinds of weapons.

'_Awareness, patience, velocity, stamina..._'

Susan darted her disc at one and charged at the next in the opposite direction. This one swang his staff and she threw herself to the ground, primarily to dodge him and secondly to slide into his knees. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Susan got up, caught her disc that had sprang back to her and let it zoom down into the sentry. At the same moment the next one approached. Screaming, he lunged at her from the right. She stuck her disc onto her back and versatilely dodged all his blows, in a split second gripped the handle of his own staff, kicked backwards to hit another sentry, who was just trying to attack her from the back, into the stomach, spun around with him and wrenched from him his own staff which she now also rammed into the program she'd just kicked, which crumbled into small cubes.  
Suddenly, Susan was grabbed from the back. She yelped but didn't lose her composure. She jumped off the ground with force and dropped backwards onto the ground, where the sentry landed with an "UFF!", her landing on his chest. Due to the impact his grip had loosened, enabling Susan to free herself. She didn't get up, however, but turned herself towards the program, kneeled on him and punched his face with her right fist several times. Then she once again took her disc from her back and bashed it into the sentry's neck. As he was about to crumble into small cubes as well, Susan saw a sentry approaching in his helmet visor. She rolled to the side to barely dodge the hard hit of the orange glowing whip. Quickly, she picked herself up and suddenly heard a loud signalling sound. The sentry ran towards the wall in the opposite direction. Susan frowned and quickly looked up. As she spotted the spinning arrow she understood what was going on and ran after the program. She leapt into him, throwing him on the ground. Suddenly, gravity changed and both of them flew upwards, which felt like it was down. Susan used the sentry as a type of shield and landed on him, which was still very painful. Muttering, he pushed her off him, reached for his light whip and struck. He missed her not by much.  
Susan now stood face to face with him, gripping her disc even tighter. She gasped for air, was out of breath but didn't even pay attention to that. Instead of taking a break she charged at her opponent. They hit each other, dodged each others strikes. That didn't last for too long, however, as suddenly a signalling sound shrilled again and both of them ran towards the walls this time.  
While gravity was changing, Susan ran across the wall, repelling herself from it afterwards. With a roll she landed on the floor, got up and noticed the sentry leaping at her. Susan opened her eyes wide and stuck the floor, breaking it. The sentry fell into the hole, but could hold onto the ledge. He lost his baton, but swang himself up and looked for the program he was supposed to eliminate, but she was too fast. She kicked him in the back, causing him to fall to his knees in front of her. Susan grabbed his chin from behind, quickly found a position for the death blow on his neck and held up the disc.  
That's when she heard the crowd cheering: "DEREZZ! DEREZZ! DEREZZ!" Sikon. Other ISOs. They had to die in this position, kneeling like this sentry now and their executioner behind them.  
No, she couldn't become like them, like CLU. Enough killing for today.  
She let go of him and put the disc back into the input on her back, followed by a loud murmur that went through the crowd. Suddenly though, the sentry grabbed backwards, gripped her waist and flinged her over him, resulting in her hard landing on the back, with her head facing the sentry. Susan moaned with pain. He took his own disc off his back and wanted to derezz her when a loud voice echoed through the arena: "_STOP_!"  
The sentry paused and looked up. There was an orange airship that Susan hadn't even noticed before. That was where the incredibly deep voice came from.  
"_Unfair game, sentry_."  
Meanwhile, Susan got up with trouble.  
"_Combatant 6, program Arris_"  
Astonished, she looked up to the airship. She was surrounded by absolute silence. The only noise Susan could hear was her own heavy breath.  
"... _Victory_."  
The spectators freaked out completely. They screamed their elation to the heavens. The noise was deafening. There surely had never been anything like that before. Susan didn't understand how this could be, but exhaled out of relief.  
Today, she would not have to die.

* * *

The door closed behind her.  
They had led her out of the arena and told her that she was free to go whereever she wanted to, though they had informed her that she was an official combatant now and that she could be called to the games at any time. She had asked after Kyto, but they didn't know anything.  
Now she stood there, amidst the wide street of Tron City, without the slightest idea of what to do. She still was alone and now... she also had blood of innocents on her hands. She had done exactly what CLU wanted her to do, had erased programs with the same views only to survive. She was not one jot better than sentries. What had she done?  
With an idle glance she looked around. A little group of laughing programs went by and further afar some light cycles and light roadsters drove through the streets.  
Susan plodded down the street, sat down on a bench after a while and put her face into her hands.  
"Excuse me?", a friendly voice interrupted her thoughts.  
She looked up and caught sight of a blond male program standing in front of her.  
"Damn, it's her, guys!", he called to his friends, two girls further away. To Susan he said: "Y-you are Arris, right?"  
She eyed him up and nodded lightly.  
"WOW, I can't believe it! C'mon guys, it's really her!" While he was talking, she stood up. "Man, I... You... That was the best fight I've ever seen! Really! That was..."  
One of the girls that had turquoise hair linked arms with the boy and excitedly said: "That was awesome! How you just erased those sentries so damn quickly... It reminded me of a fight with Tron I saw many cycles ago! AWESOME!"  
The other girl looked excited too, but seemed to be too shy to say anything, just nodded approbingly.  
"Um..." Susan was confused. She had not expected something like that, but it built her up somehow. "... Thanks."  
The boy grinned from ear to ear. "Wow...", he repeated. Then the turquoise-haired program began to speak again: "So... Y'know, we just wanted to go to the EOLC. We'd like to stand you some drinks!"  
The other girl giggled and joyfully said: "Imagine the looks on the faces of the others, if we turned up with Arris, the REAL Arris, there..."  
"Oh, I'm actually not really the type for the EOLC. I'd rather be a-"  
"Come on! The club is great! We'll have so much fun there!", the turquoise-haired girl continued to prattle. "And I bet the owner Castor would do anything to have you in his club!"  
Susan raised one brow and sighed. "I'm not so mad for meeting him..."  
"But we are!", the boy pouted. "I mean, if we were friends with Castor... THAT would be influence..."  
"Oh, please come with us! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!", the bubbly girl begged.  
Susan sighed again. She really wanted to be alone now, but she needed some kind of distraction now anyway and when she was already there she could cut this Castor down to size about his poor club imitation.  
"Alright...", she said. "Let's go there. Where is it?"  
"On top of the Tower."  
"Which tower? There are many in Downtown."  
They frowned. "Well... on THE Tower."  
The blonde one pointed at the tremendous tower in the middle of Tron City Susan had seen when she was on the recognizer, on which a bright light shone.  
"One moment..." Susan looked at the three in confusion. "This light on its top... THAT is the EOLC?"


	3. 3 The Program named Castor

_**Author's Note: OOOOKAY here comes the next chap :D It's quite short but I'm like... Meeeeeaaaaaaa Yes I'm 100% sure you'll like it. There's very... well... Grrr stuff in it ;) you know what I mean? YKNOW WHAT I MEAN?! 8DDD yeah youre smiling now I know ;) I do too :P and, I mean, if you just have a look at the title... You KNOW that it is a great chap :) **_

_**ENJOY PROGRAMS and PLEEEASE REVIEW! (I need reviews as motivation so please, just one little comment? Yes? Good doggie ^_^)**_

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/The Program named Castor/**

When the doors of the elevator opened with a hiss, Susan's eyes widened.  
The music was perfect, the beat boosted Susan's heart and revived it. The part of her she had considered to be dead awoke. After 144 cycles Susan really felt her soul again. She was electrified.  
Slowly she and the three others walked in deeper with Susan ahead. Fascinated she gazed around.  
Near the entrance it went a bit down to soft looking benches, where some programs sat on and a few even made out a bit. It was mainly dark here, but the floor gleamed in white and in the front beamed the big bar. She looked up and discovered two programs with helmets behind a glass wall who mixed the music. There had not been anything like that in the old End Of Line Club. Nor such a view. With mouth agape Susan looked past the bar, through the big bay at the back of the club and could see almost the whole Grid thereby. Such an ambience... Simply incredible!  
She couldn't believe it. This club was different, calmer, but still hot, charming, high-class, elegant, interesting... stunning. She felt a bit guilty towards the old club, but she couldn't do anything against it. She had thought back then, that one could not do any better, but this conception got totally dashed now. The new End Of Line simply had everything! At one blow Susan was in love with a place again.  
She turned around to share her joy with her admirers, though she only saw how they protestingly were pushed into the elevator again by a white-dressed program with silver glasses and how the elevator doors closed. Like she had heard it on the streets: not everyone was permitted to be here. Also new, but it had a ring to it.  
Susan did feel sorry for those programs - after all they had convinced her to go to the club - but she was tired of worrying about others. Now it was her turn and, dammit, she wanted to enjoy herself now!  
Slowly she strolled round the benches and sat down on a stool at the bar. She had a great mind to finally drink something really good again and she didn't mind at the moment that she had nothing to pay with. She surely would find someone during the evening who would assume that.  
"What's it to be?", the bearded bartender asked. He was the spitting image of the one in the old EOLC, but Susan noticed some tiny differences.

"I don't care what exactly. Just a really good drink, please."  
He blinked happily. "Coming up!"  
Susan watched him mix a neon green drink, letting a little umbrella plunk into it and putting it on the counter with a happy "There you go."  
"Thank you."  
She sipped on it and melted away inside. This was the best drink she had had for one and a half centuries. Susan took a deep breath and closed her eyes, let the loud music flow through herself. It couldn't get any better...  
"Well, well, look who's here."  
Susan froze. This voice... She swang around.  
A program in a white suit and equally white hair stood there with the back to her, holding its glass cane up in a triumphant gesture.  
"Look! Our new, thrilling champion of the games, Arris, is here!"  
The programs in the club cheered, but Susan could just stare at the speaking program with wide eyes.  
"Well, the best programs come to the best club, of course. And there is no better club than the End Of Line!"  
Cheering again. This voice...  
With an elegant movement he turned to her. It really was him...  
"This round is on me!", he exclaimed with a wide grin.  
While everyone's attention was concentrated on the bartender now, the white-haired program walked over to her.  
She could barely breathe, just stare.  
"I am Castor,", he said in his velvety-soft voice. "your host."  
He took her right hand and kissed it without taking his attentive gaze from her eyes. Susan could not move, not think.  
Castor eyed her up and put his hand cautiously on her back then. "Come. Someone like you I would rather serve myself, preferably in my private lounge..."  
He guided her a bit back to the direction of the entrance.  
These eyes... Was she dreaming?  
Castor stopped and knocked three times with his cane on the floor whereupon stairs floated down, providing access to a bright room above the entrance corridor thereby, which Susan hadn't noticed up to now. Castor gave her a triumphant look and stepped up the stairs, while Susan was still standing there, looking after him.  
At the top he turned around, grinned at her and pointed with a little nod to the room behind him, before he disappeared in it. With her mouth agape she stood there for a moment, then ventured the first step on the stairs though.  
She entered the room. It was bright in there, comfortable benches were on each side and at the back of the room was a luminous little bar.  
Castor. This was Castor. But was he Zuse too? Or did he get reprogramed, so that he couldn't remember anything? Or did he do it himself? Did he know who she was? Hadn't Zuse mentioned once that there are programs that look like him? Was it possible that this was just someone who adopted his shape?  
Questions upon questions whirred through Susan's mind, creating an uncomfortable buzz in her head.  
She stood in the middle of the room and couldn't budge, just continue staring at the program in front of her, slightly shaking.  
While he was searching for the right bottle in the bright shelf next to the little bar, he was speaking with a grin on his face: "Arris, Arris, Arris, the champion of the games. I've seen it by the way, the games, I was there in the arena. It was unbelievable how you did that. So quick and agile! You rarely get to see such a good fighter..." He poured liquid into the two glasses he had put on the counter in the meantime, took them into his hands and strolled over to her.  
Susan looked to the ground, trying to compose herself.  
"All that training has paid off, am I right..." He held one drink out to her, almost piercing her with his gaze. "... Susan?"  
Her had snapped up.  
Hearing her real name struck her like a punch in her face. She had not heard it for more than a century. And now it was uttered with such a soft voice.  
Zuse laughed. "Ah, you thought I forgot everything, didn't you? But, you know, my dear..." His smile became wider, more flattering. "... how could I ever forget you?"  
He pointed with a nod at the drink he was still holding out to her.  
She took it in confusion with a very flat breath.  
"After I went my own way, I needed a new me, a disguise as self-protection. Since noone remembered my actual appearance though, I maintained it, and, let's be honest, I look gorgeous." He laughed and sipped on his drink, as he eyed her up. It irritated him that she did not make a sound. "The drink tastes delicious, believe me, sweetheart..."  
She blinked and looked dazed at the glass in her hand.  
It was him...  
Suddenly deep desire overcame her. All those feelings that have dammed up the last 144 cycles... She couldn't restrain them anymore.  
She looked up with watery eyes and breathed: "Zuse..."  
Susan dropped the glass, took his face in her hands and pressed her lips on his.  
Zuse seemed to have been caught totally off-guard at first. Then his own glass fell to the ground and he hugged her tightly.  
It felt so relieving, for both of them. Susan shivered lightly as waves of electricity flowed through her body. Wonderful...  
The kiss became more intense, wilder. Zuse licked over her upper lip, requesting access to her waiting mouth, which she willingly permitted. As he let his tongue slip in, Susan moaned softly. She clung to his hair and pressed him tighter to her, that it even hurt, which bothered neither of them. If anything, the pain fanned their inner flames even more. While Zuse's right hand held on to her waist, his left wandered down, caressing her curves. Susan desisted from his hair, placing her hands on his chest. She pushed him back and Zuse stepped backwards during the kiss.  
When his back touched the counter, he grabbed Susan at her sides, spun her around and squeezed her against the bar. They interrupted the kiss and looked each other in the eyes. Neither of them needed to say anything. The desire was written all over their faces. Both breathed heavily.  
There Zuse raised his hand, buried it into Susan's hair and kissed her passionately again. She wrapped her arms around him and felt his left hand going down. Zuse lifted her right thigh and Susan held him on his side. She felt the arousal becoming bigger, as their shivering bodies rubbed against each other. Inside, she nearly exploded.  
Was she crazy? Was THIS crazy? It didn't matter. She wanted him so much, she couldn't do anything. Her senses were sharpened and aimed at him. The environment was forgotten. Her extremely heavy heart beat drowned the strong beat of the music outside.  
Zuse stepped backwards and Susan followed him. They were so close to each other that he had no problems to whirl them around and let Susan gently fall down on one of the benches. She leant back and pulled him with her, so that he lay onto her. He pushed away from her a bit and looked at her heavy breathing.  
"I missed you...", he breathed with a grin. "Did you miss me too?"  
Zuse's gloved finger tips began to glow and as he let them run down her body, Susan's suit formed back in little black rectangles until she was entirely naked.  
"You bet...", she panted and frenziedly pulled Zuse down to her again.  
When Susan felt him sucking on her neck, a moan escaped her lips. Quickly he put his hand on her mouth.  
"They shall not get too curious down there, pretty miss...", he laughed.  
She just exhaled heavily, gave him a voluptuous look and replied with opening her legs.


	4. 4 Entertainments and Diversions

**/Entertainments and Diversions/**

Susan had made herself comfortable on one of the benches. Clothed again, she waited for Zuse, who had gone down earlier to close the club for this daycycle.  
She had not been so relaxed for such a long time. Sex with Tron had been really good too back then - his strength had appealed to her - but did not compare to sex with Zuse. It had been unbelievable! They had matched so perfectly, had known exactly what would drive the other crazy, especially Zuse, which Susan believed to be because of the numerous experiences he had acquired in the past. It had been tender and wild at the same time. The perfect mixture.  
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes with a smile and sank into the soft bench. She perceived voices from downstairs, then the hiss of the elevator doors and steps on the stairs to the lounge.  
Slowly she lifted her lids. Zuse strolled over to her, elegantly like always, holding out a new drink to her with a smile.  
"Shaddix made it before he left, precious."  
She took the glass with a soft smile, thanking him quietly. Zuse walked over to the little bar at the back of the lounge and leant against it, so that he could look at Susan.  
"So you could save Shaddix' data?", she asked.  
"Not exactly. That was not really Shaddix, that was another programme I found in an database full of completely new and unused programmes. Flynn probably created them shortly before the Purge, without ever activating them."  
Susan watched him, as he began to play a bit with his cane, balancing it on his palm. She felt so calm inside, it was almost scary. She had been in a turmoil the whole time and had not even noticed it, since she'd forgot what it meant to be relaxed a long time ago.  
"So...", Zuse said. "... how have you been over the intervening cycles?"  
"It was exhausting.", she sighed smiling. "Since you were gone, I've spent most of the time with training."  
"And I am very glad you did. By the way, I like your pseudonym. Aaaarris... Arrissss... I like your real name more though. Susan sounds beautiful." He paused for a moment, looking to the ground thoughtfully. "For a long time I thought you got derezzed...", he finally said.  
"At first, I thought you got derezzed too, but then I heard your name on the streets. Do you know that many programs look up to you? You're like legend out there."  
"Well... What should I say? I'm my own idol, too.", he laughed. "Anyway, I found out that you live only a few millicycles ago." He reached around the counter and took out a black light baton with a little white triangle on it.  
Susan sat up. "Where did you get this from?"  
"I saw one of my waitresses with it, instantly recognised whose baton that was and confronted her with it. You should have seen her! She was so embarrassed, after she gave up to conjure up excuses. If she hadn't been so cute, I would have thrown her out neck and crop."  
'You should've thrown her out...', Susan thought. She hated women that played innocent when they really were not.  
"Here you are." Zuse passed it to her.  
She gently stroked over it.  
"... And I have another gift for you, my dear.", he said with a smile and walked over to the wall to the left of him. He layed his hand on it, it lit up at one spot, which he touched now and a drawer opened with a quiet hiss. He took something out of it and turned to her again, while the drawer closed behind him. "I kept it here for a long time and looked after it well. I thought, if you were really dead, this would be my only chance to ever see you again..." He held it up. "Your original disc."  
Susan lost her tongue.  
HER disc! The one she got on her first day cycle on the Grid. The one she had to replace with a forgery during the Purge.  
She stood up, walked over to Zuse and took the disc into her hand.  
"Amazing...", she whispered, while admiring it.  
It had served her so well over so many cycles. On it, all her memories were saved, the ones from the Grid, as well as the ones from outside. She had already felt good to shift this forgery and even better, when she had gotten a new disc at the arena, but that was not the same. If someone had tried to explain it to her when she had been a User, she probably wouldn't have understood. But now... as program... This disc meant so much to her.  
Just as she took her new disc off her back to synchronise the original one, Zuse grabbed her arm. "I'm not sure if that would be a good idea."  
"What? That's MY disc! Nothing can happen, I just have to..."  
"Your an official combatant now, Susan. Perhaps they will check your disc at the arena, several times maybe, and this thingy here is of far greater importance than you are probably aware of. In the wrong hands, it could cause tremendous problems..."  
"What do you mean?"  
"If CLU got a hold of this disc... it could change way too much. You have memories of the Userworld saved upon it. These could become very useful for him indeed and definitely not in a positive way..."  
She sighed. Susan wanted to wear her disc again so badly, but Zuse's argument was airtight.  
"Alright...", she finally murmured and gave her original disc back to Zuse.  
He stroke over her cheek. "Don't worry. I'm sure the time will come when you can be 100% Susan again." His gaze moved to her hair and he grinned. "Did I actually mention that black fits you perfectly?"  
He turned back to the wall, opened the drawer and put the disc in it cautiously.  
Susan frowned as she had to think of something he'd said. "Now that I'm an... official combatant, they can send me to the games whenever they want, right?"  
"Of course. And I personally cannot wait to see you smashing a sentry's head again!", he said in an amused voice, but when he turned around, seeing the frustrated expression on her face, his grin faded away. "What's wrong?"  
Susan tried to control her own voice with all her strength, so that she would not sound as weak as she felt: "I killed them all... Programs I didn't know, but they were caught just like me, equipped just like me, believed in Users just like me and I eliminated them without hesitating. On the streets we oftenly talked about what we'd do, if they brought us to the arena and most programs, including me, said they would refuse to fight against their brothers and sisters. I... betrayed them... and myself..." She went back to one of the benches, let herself fall on it like a wet sack and buried her face in her hands.  
For a moment she felt so alone with all her inner struggles, all her frustration. Then, though, she felt a hand on her back. Zuse sat down next to her.  
"Listen, Susan. You were forced to act like that. If your friends said that they would not fight, they lied to you. Even the bravest program fights for its own survival in such a situation. I was there, I watched all the battles and you, Susan, you were the only one who hesitated at the beginning. All others began to attack their opponents brutally in an instant. And believe me, I was at many of those games and it's always like that. There it's either you or the others and it would be... unnatural, if someone decided for the others."  
Susan darkly whispered: "Tron would decide for the others..."  
Zuse stood up and angrily looked at her. "But you are not Tron! Tron is dead, Susan!", he hissed. "And if you really want to act like him, then go ahead! Show your altruism to all programmes on the game grid. But don't be surprised then, if you also end like Tron, since I am absolutely sure that your heroism would keep no program from goring you with its disc. And in case you didn't notice: The audience loves it! They would not mourn for you, would not say 'Wow, she refused to fight, how brave...', no, they would enjoy your death even more!"  
She looked at him in shock.  
Zuse closed his eyes and sighed. "I just want you to realise how ruthless each program can be when it comes to their own life. I don't want that anything happens to you, just because you think you have to act like Tron.", he said calmly, sat down to her again and took her hand in his. "It is by no means your fault. If someone is to blame, then CLU. Noone else. In any case you. You are the most selfless program I know and if you had the chance to save others, you would grab it. But, please, not like that. Not at the price that you get derezzed thereby." He sighed again and hugged her. "In those times one has to look after oneself. You did nothing wrong..."  
Susan had her eyes closed and felt how her sullenness slowly faded away by the hug of her friend.  
For a while they stayed like this, then Zuse stood up and leant against the bar again. Susan smirked about that. He just couldn't keep still for a long time, he was always far too hyper about that.  
She was so thankful to him. He did not lie and amplify what she had done, he just told her what he thought, bluntly, the truth.  
"Zuse?"  
"Yes?"  
"Has CLU ever released other programs?"  
"No, he hasn't. You were the first and, I bet, the only one to ever get released."  
"Why?"  
"Maybe... CLU recognised you."  
Susan looked away in thoughts. It was entirely possible. She did not look that differently and CLU had sometimes watched her training with Tron, whereby he knew her combat style. "But... that wouldn't make sense, would it? He wanted to have me killed, why wouldn't he do the same now?"  
"Perhaps he wants to stall you. Doing it, when you expect it least. Psycho-torture, you know."  
"And... you think he will let me fight and release me again? I mean, that sounds... I don't know... illogical somehow."  
"Not at all! If he erased you now, it would be a scandal! You grew dear to the citizens of Tron City. It would harm his own reputation. He would have to ruin your reputation first, before doing it. So you're save for now..." He laughed shortly. "Only in the arena, of course. Outside of it you are fair game."  
"Great that you tell me that now...", she said cynically and gave him a stern look, where he could just laugh at.  
"Don't worry..." He walked over to her, took her hand and Susan let him pull her up. Gracefully he turned her around her own axis and a moment later they were in a tight dancing position. "... You are completely save here, dear."  
Susan smiled and kissed him.

* * *

'Arris, the best fighter on the Grid', they called her. Everytime she entered the arena, the audience cheered, shouting her chosen name. Although she still felt a bit gloomy because of the programs she had to derezz, pride was her predominant emotion. She was the crowd favourite, since she had won every single combat in the 4 games in the arena she had been forced to participate up to now, thus the audience's appreciation was not the only reward she gained. She was given upgrades for her light cycle and an apartment amidst Downtown, with a balcony, from where she liked to enjoy the view, sometimes together with Zuse.

_"Zuse?"  
"Mhm?", it came back, gently kissing her neck.  
Susan stood at the handrail of her balcony, from where one could see the End Of Line Club, and Zuse directly behind her, his hands on her hips.  
"How did you build all that up? I mean the club, your reputation, after you changed your identity."  
He put his chin on her shoulder. "After I became Castor, I had to make my mark first of all. Naturally it could not be too conspicuous, though. I had to be more discreet, taking my time. I made new aquaintances, at first with programmes on the streets of Downtown, then with more powerful ones and so forth. Eventually, I was already quite famous, especially because I spread that one could speak to Zuse through me, since I noticed that there were many programmes wishing to be able to do that. Anyway, I worked hard to establish my reputation and this was actually all I had to do. Soon I got offers from influential programmes, who were of the opinion that since the destruction of the old EOLC, a good club was missing in Tron City, and they believed that I had what it takes to take charge of such an undertaking. I just had to choose a place, make a design and my financiers implemented the projects. That was it."  
"Wow...", Susan marvelled. "I think, I would already have had problems with making aquaintances."  
Zuse laughed. "That's because you can be a bit too honest with fresh contacts sometimes. I for one do not tell programmes what dumb null units they actually are..."  
She giggled. "Well, somebody has to do it." Adoringly she looked up. "And you did a great job, Zuse. The place is perfect for a club, couldn't be more prominent. Like a star in the sky... And the design is awesome too! Elegant, exclusive and hot at the same time... Much like you."  
He grinned and put his lips on her neck again.  
"Tell me, Zuse..." Susan began to speak again after a little pause. "What's... going on here? I mean... well, you know... between us?"  
"Hm..." He skilfully turned her around, so that she leant with her back against the handrail and they could look at each other. "Well, I think of it as a good friendship with benefits."  
Susan sighed with relief. "Me too! Something... binding would be far too exhausting for me now. Besides, I know that you're too curious to quit having fun with other programs. And that's good thing. I like it. It's advantageous that you have so much experience. If someone's out for fun, you'd always be the best choice. And this is what I want. Fuuuun. I think I deserve that after all that shit I've gone through..."  
"I totally agree with you..."  
He kissed her shortly, before she applied herself to the wonderful view again and Zuse wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.  
A thought came to Susan's mind and before she could stop herself, she said it out loud: "And what was the thing with Quorra?" She bit her tongue and immediately added: "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood!"  
"It's okay.", he said, but she had felt him wincing lightly at her question. Zuse sighed. "Well, you know, that was... complicated."  
He let go off her and strolled into the bedroom.  
'You pissed him off, you silly cow! What is wrong with you?!', Susan thought to herself as she followed him. "I'm sorry! I didn't want to reopen old..."  
"No, it's okay, really!", he said and turned to her with a smile. "The thing with Quorra was... I was fascinated by her, probably because she was the craziest ISO I knew. I liked her and I can certainly say that she liked me too. But it was nothing serious, it really wasn't."  
Anyone who didn't know Zuse too well, would only see the smile on his face and not notice the slightly sad undertone in his voice, that worried Susan. Had he wanted more from Quorra?  
Zuse took his cane he had thrown into the corner of the room when the two had entered it making out.  
"Are you... leaving?"  
Zuse paused in his movement, turned to her with the cane in his hand and walked over to her with a charming grin. "Pardon, I did not want to convey this impression. Without saying good bye properly, I wouldn't go of course, don't worry." He reached around her, so that she now felt the cane horizontally pressed on her back. Zuse pulled her tightly to himself with it. "I thought, perhaps you want to show me an other room..."_

Susan drank the whole glass, ordered another drink and leant against the bar, observing the programs in the End Of Line Club, while Shaddix mixed it. It was still odd to see sentries enjoying themselves. After all they were programs, who need to relax sometimes, just like her.  
She spotted Zuse who was just having a conversation with a muscular man and realised judging from his intense look that he'd got him hooked. Susan smirked. Outside, such a curious man like Zuse, who dealt with his bisexuality very openly, would have been a thorn in many people's side, would have been a victim of racist acts of violence maybe. Susan herself had seen something like that outside. Everytime she had been to demonstrations for human rights with her gay friends, since she had never understood why somebody should have different rights just because of his or her sexuality, in her hometown San Francisco as a teenager, she had seen people, who disapproved what they did. Here, on the Grid, there was no racism. At least as long as you're not User-friendly minded.  
Zuse grinned seductively at the man and pointed to his private lounge. Susan continued looking around. She didn't care about Zuse having fun with somebody else, as long as he didn't forget her. She even found it hot somehow to think of him with other men, but every time he disappeared with women in his lounge, she felt a bit sick. They always were extremely attractive, sirens mostly. A bit of jealousy was just natural.  
As Susan still wandered her eyes over the dancing and laughing programs with her new drink in her hand, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Castor!", she said in surprise as she realised who was standing next to her. "Shouldn't you attend to the guest in your lounge?"  
"He can wait, sweetheart. Besides, I only want information from him."  
"Information?", she asked curiously.  
"About the missing programmes. Anyway, I wanted to ask, if you..."  
"Missing programs?" She put the glass down on the counter and looked at Zuse with narrow eyes.  
"Yes. Some disappeared suddenly. Not many, but still interesting. You really did not know about that?"  
"No..."  
"Oh... Well, I'll explain it to you later. I just wanted to know if you want to stay in the club after the closing."  
"I actually wanted to go soon... but I want to know what's the deal with these programs, so yeah, I'll stay."  
"Good girl!" He kissed her cheek and left.  
Missing programs... How could programs just disappear? And where to? The entire Grid was controlled by CLU's troops. Only the Outlands did not get observed too well, but why should they? Noone would go there voluntarily anyway.  
Missing...  
Susan took her drink in her hand again and waited.


	5. 5 Resistance

**_Author's Note: Yeeeees you're not getting crazy, it IS another chap :D Yaaay partyyy... *cough* um, yeah. But finally action comes back ^_^_  
**

**_Enjoy programs and please REVIEW (hats off. up to now you skilfully ignored my request for Reviews. How did you find out that being ignored is my biggest weakness? Slow clap for you all *clap...clap...clap* I'm proud of you ;) But now... _REVIEW _:P_)_  
_**

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/Resistance/**

"He didn't know anything, right?"  
Zuse grimaced as he came to her through the empty club. While he was plucking on his suit, adjusting it, he said in an annoyed tone: "No, nothing."  
"Sorry..."  
"Oh, it's alright, dear." He made himself comfortable on the bench she had sat down meanwhile, and smiled. "You cannot have everything. The occurrence is obviously too fresh yet, that a normal stocktaking program would know much about it."  
Susan remained silent, but looking intensely at him, what made him grinning even more.  
"You are getting impatient, aren't you?"  
"Tell me about the missing programs."  
Zuse sighed. "Well, I already told you pretty much everything I know, actually. A handful of programs haven't been seen for a long time. They have not been at the games, not on the streets, nowhere. Only a few programs know about that. I know it, since friends of those missing programs came to me to ask for an audience with Zuse. They probably thought he had something to do with that."  
"Well, you can make programs disappear..."  
"But not like that. I sent most programs to Argon and provided a new identity, but they are still on CLU's wanted list. Those programs now... are not. Noone is looking for them except of their friends. Since it was beyond my power to help them in any other way than tell them about rumours, I now wanted to find out more."  
"And why did you think a stocktaker could help?"  
"Hm... good question. It was more like a feeling. And he was handsome..."  
Susan laughed, stood up and strolled over to the stairs to Zuse's private lounge. She waited for him to follow and together they went up. When she sat down again and put her legs on a little side table, something came to her mind. "Tell me, do you know what it means to get 'rectified'?"  
Zuse frowned looking at Susan's feet and slowly pushed them off his table with his cane, whereat Susan sulked. Before he walked over to the little bar, he punished her with an angry look.  
"Getting rectified means that one gets reprogrammed."  
"I thought only Flynn could do that.", she said wondering. She grabbed the chance that Zuse was turning his back at her while searching a bottle in the shelf behind the counter to put her feet onto the table again.  
"Well, Flynn can create new programmes, but if you are skilled enough, you can modify programmes even if you're not a User. Get your feet off the table at once. You can give it a new purpose, for instance."  
She put on a faked angry face and took her feet down. "Can YOU do that?"  
He turned to her. "Me? To a certain extent, yes."  
"So... Could you reprogram me, for example?" She smirked.  
Laughing he came to her at an easy pace and sat down next to her. "You have one of the most complicated codes on the Grid! You are like... a Half-User. Perhaps I could reprogramme you, but it would take an incredibly long time and much data would certainly get lost."  
Susan admired Zuse's way of realistic thinking. He could estimate his own abilities perfectly, as well as those from others.  
"Besides..." He sipped on his drink and put it onto the little table. "I wouldn't know what to change about you, my dear..."  
"Aw, stop it, youuuu..."  
He paused briefly and asked then: "What made you think about that actually?"  
"About what?"  
"Rectifying."  
"Oh, um..." She thought for a moment. "When I was brought to the arena the first time, the programs on the recognizer got assorted. To the games or getting rectified. And everyone would rather get rectified, because... I'm not sure why... probrably because they can't fight or didn't want to fight their friends." Zuse seemed surprised, what irritated her. "You didn't know that?"  
Slowly he shook his head. He was visibly uncomfortable with the face that he was not informed about that and Susan didn't know what to say now, so she just kept her mouth shut, letting him stare into the air in thoughts. Then he began to smile again. "Ah, I understand. If one gets rectified, one cannot remember that of course. And all combatants except of you got derezzed, so nobody could know about that. The sentries did, of course, but they usually do not talk about their work, and surely would not tell anybody such a detail. So noone could know that except of you!"  
This realisation made him happy again. It had not been his own inattention that let him miss out on this detail.  
Susan smirked. "Yeah. And now you're one of the very few insiders again." Suddenly her smile fell. "By the way... you said... Half-User..."  
"Did that... offend you in a way?", Zuse asked cautiously.  
"No, no..." She closed her eyes. "It's just... well... I can't really remember anything from outside..." Slowly she lifted her lids again, giving him a begging look. "Zuse?"  
"Yes?"  
She took a deep breath. "Can I... can I have my disc back?" Before he could react to that, she added: "I just want to synchronize it! So that I can remember everything again, you understand? Just a nanocycle! Then you can have it again. And maybe we can hardcode some kind of protection, so that the data from the original disc doesn't pass into the new one." She sighed. "I just want to remember... The Userworld, my old friends, myself...  
Zuse looked to the ground. "Yes... I knew, the time would come when you would not be able to endure it any longer. But... such a protection is hard to program, precious..."  
She took his hand, squeezing it lightly. "I'm sure, you'll make it..."  
He hesitated. Then he stood up though and walked over to the wall, wherein Susan's disc was hidden. Carefully he took it out of the drawer and gave it to her.  
"Synchronise it. I take care of this protection for your other disc meanwhile."  
She nodded, taking the disc off her back and giving it to him. Her heart pounded as she plugged her original disc into the input. A short but strong tingling flashed through her, taking her breath away for a moment. Suddenly her mind was full of pictures and feelings again. Flynn, how he cried at her sickbed. Alan and Lora, whom she danced at a concert with. She, holding little Sam Flynn in her arms the first time. The memories rushed through her, from her first as a child to her last. Like by a huge wave she got flooded by emotions and could feel under her closed lids, how her eyes became wet. She laughed quietly. It felt wonderful!  
"Thank you...", she breathed.  
Susan opened her eyes and looked at Zuse at ease, who still puttered around on her disc behind the bar. He didn't even pay attention to her, when she came over to him and leant over the counter.  
"Thank you.", she repeated.  
"Well, darling, the protection is not finished yet and I'm not sure, if it will work at all. This disc has already a protection system built in, which is supposed to prevent it from... well... hackers." He grinned without looking up. "They did not count on such a genius like me." Zuse let the luminous codes disappear into the disc again, threw it into the air, caught it in an elegant motion and held it out to Susan. "Here you are. It is resistant against all your old memories now. Furthermore, I took the liberty of installing an absorption-limit of 20 cycles. That means, the longer you wear it and the more new memories get saved, the more old ones get deleted. That's a perfect securing if CLU ever demands insight."  
Susan took the disc with a light smile. Then she lifted her head, looking into Zuse's proud face. "The 'Thank you' was not only for the protection. I want to thank you sincerely that you kept my original disc all those cycles. That I can remember everything now, is..." She closed her eyes and laughed happily. "It's unbelievable!" She looked at Zuse again. "This means so much to me..."  
"I see...", he replied quietly and eyed her up. He really could understand he, since he also had to live with a forged disc for a long time. It had felt so strange, like a venomous foreign object on his back. When he had been able to put on the original again, no more than 27 cycles had passed. Susan, however, had to wait for almost 150 cycles to wear it again. The memory loss had have to be enormous, especially at her, since she had more memories than all other programs on the entire Grid. Besides, she wouldn't be the Susan he knew without these memories, and then she wouldn't be that important to him.  
"I will absolutely return the favor, I promise."  
Susan's words interrupted Zuse's thoughts. He looked up and smirked as he saw that she had leant over the bar a bit, so that one could look into her cleavage perfectly.  
When she noticed, where Zuse was looking at, she laughed and continued: "I will also thank you on... physical basis, of course." Then she became serious again. "But I wish there was something, that cleared my debt..."  
Zuse sighed. "You do not owe me anything, Susan." Then he thought shortly. "Although... there'd actually be something..."  
"What?"  
He hesitated. "Well... It would be very nice of you, if you gave me an insight into your codes. I will not look at anything private, no memories. I just want to go over your root code. With all this saved material it has to be of a colossal extent! I would like to see if I could find my way in such a complex code."  
"Feel free, man!"  
"Really? Are you not worried, that I could come across secrets of yours by... accident?"  
He only asked out of sheer curiosity, since he had already done that without her knowledge. Before he had met Susan again he had scoured the memories of her original disc for useful things, maybe a detail that could give some indication of some ISOs survival or that could keep CLU at bay if it would become risky one day. Though, he didn't find anything. Thereby he came across amusing memories, by chance more or less, such as her affair with Tron.  
"I trust you, Zuse."  
But her smile revealed that she knew it anyway.  
When she had plugged in the disc, she instantly had felt which memories had been opened not a long time ago. She didn't care though, since she would tell him everything anyway. It was not some kind of breach of confidence to her, she was cool with it. He was her friend.  
She sat down at the bench again and signified with a tap on the empty space next to her that he should sit down too.  
"Oh, Susan... I am very pleased to see you so happy!", he sighed, as he sat down and she crossed her legs over his lap.  
"Well, you contribute greatly to my happiness, my friend."  
He put his hand on her thigh and stroked it with a grin. "Speaking of that... What was that again with thanking on physical basis?"  
Susan laughed. "Now? Honestly, I thought you would have enough for today! Or was this guy a dead duck?"  
Zuse grimaced. "He was an amateur. Zero creativty." He leant forward to Susan, his hand on her hip, his face just a few inches away from hers. "You are way better with your... erotic ingenuity. And by the way, my dear, I never have enough..."  
Susan grinned. "Oh, I want to test that..."

* * *

It was always exciting to watch programs fight in the games, but as soon as Arris', the martial heroine of the people, attendence got announced, everyone knew whom they had to bet on. And they never got disappointed. It seemed that she made so many programs happy by her victories, so many came to her after the games for autographs and to thank her for the awesome show.  
Today again, she'd made it. The uproar in the arena, when she had checkmated the last opponent, still dinned in her head, just as the cheering, when she'd entered the club. She enjoyed the fame and attention, but here she could relax too.  
Susan now sat on a bench with Zuse at the far back of the club, looking out of the big opening there. One could see the Outlands, but clouds blocked one's view of the city, which didn't disturb Susan. It was still a gorgeous view.  
Zuse had his head inclined into the other direction and observed the programs, how they moved to the music, drank and conversed, with a light smile. It made him proud that he had established such an oasis of pleasure. But not only his guests enjoyed themselves.  
He looked at Susan, eyeing her.  
She was beautiful, not in the way the sirens, he sometimes got active with, were, but in her own extraordinary way. One could tell that she was someone special only by looking at her, even though she'd tried hard to look like the others since the Purge. He did not know what it was exactly, but for him she was highly attractive.  
Suddenly Zuse's train of thoughts got interrupted.  
"Castor.", a deep voice came next to him.  
He and Susan looked up and spotted a little group of men, 3 in number, standing in front of them. The one who'd spoken was really tall and muscular, had an olive teint and a thin strip of brown hair on his head that stuck up in all directions. The other 2 were not as tall as him, but looked strong still.  
After Zuse had examined the three, he said with a polite smile to Susan: "Will you excuse me for a moment, dear?"  
She nodded, stood up and walked over to the bar, where she tried to understand something of the conversation.  
"We need Zuse's help...", was the only thing she caught, from the tall guy, on the one hand because of the load music, on the other hand, because he spoke very quietly. So she gave up and ordered a drink.  
"How are you, Shad?", she asked the bartender, when he gave her a glass with a green liquid.  
"I'm fine. A bit stressy today, but I'm always prepared for the onrush after the games. By the way, t'was a good fight, amiga."  
"Thanks, man. I'm trying t-"  
"You can't just reject us!", the now loud voice of the tall guy interrupted her.  
Susan turned around, seeing the angry faces of the three men.  
"Hm... I cannot? Are you sure?", Zuse answered, grinning widely. "Because I could swear, that this is my club and I could just throw you out..."  
"The problem concerns all of us!"  
"I am really sorry, boys, but Zuse does not have time for... conspiracy theories. But let me-'  
"Conspiracy theories?! Okay, listen: you either take us to Zuse or..."  
"Or what?", Zuse said amused, looking him into the eyes carelessly.  
"Or we'll derezz you right here, right now, got it?!", he hissed.  
"Hmmm..." He looked up faked thoughtfully and then at the guy again with a happy face. "Ah, I think I'll take option C!"  
"There is no option C! And now tell us where Zuse is, for fuck's sake, or...!"  
He took his disc from his back and activated it.  
Susan reacted lightning-fast.  
She let her disc rush through the room and it hit the hand of the man. He yelled, watching his fingers crumbling away. Susan made a frontflip and landed directly between Zuse and these guys in a defensive position, with her disc holding up and a stern expression on her face.  
The music had stopped. All eyes were on Susan.  
"And you see THIS..." Zuse took a step forward, putting his hand on Susan's shoulders and grinning at the men that just stared at her in fear. "... is my option C. I presume you heard from Arris, the champion of the games. We all have seen how she erased 6 programs at a record time of half a microcycle. And I am positive that she would not have any problems with you three..."  
Susan still just set her sight on them. The one she had hit was holding his hand with a face contorted with pain, while his two henchmen looked at each other. They grabbed him by the arms and turned to go, when Zuse called at them: "Oh, come on! Don't be such bad sports! Stay here, you lovely cuties, you get free drinks!"  
They ignored him and disappeared into the elevator.  
Only when the doors were closed, Susan let her defensive postition fall slowly.  
Zuse laughed and put his arm around her shoulders, while gesticulating with his glass cane. "Well, what's the matter? Where is the music, boys?"  
A dark rhythm rose and the atmosphere began to loosen. Zuse beckoned a waitress to them, took a drink with a quiet "Thank you, darling..." from her tablet and called: "Let's hear it for Arris, the guardian of the End Of Line Club! Next round's on meee!"  
Everyone cheered and applaused and ceased their gazes from Susan eventually.  
Laughing triumphing, Zuse took a sip and looked at Susan. When he noticed that she did not smile, asked: "What's wrong?"  
"What the hell was that?", she answered with a question in an angry tone. "What did they want from you?"  
Zuse sighed and said: "Come, we better discuss this upstairs."

* * *

"They call themselves 'The Resistance'.", Zuse said in a disparaging tone. "I heard gossip about them, whereby I could already get an idea of them before this encounter, which now confirmed. These guys have no clue how to fight, as you noticed, much less how to organise a resistance."  
Susan stood at his bar, Zuse behind it, and listened.  
She felt a bit sorry for the guy whom she destroyed the hand, since she now knew that they actually were the good ones. But she did not regret it. Noone threatens Zuse in her presence.  
"They wanted an audience with Zuse, since they thought he could help build up their force levels by engineering a revolt or something like that..."  
"Sounds great! Why did you refuse?"  
"I refused, because it's not time yet."  
"Oh, it's not time to do anything against CLU yet? Did you forget what he's done to us and still does? Are you just scared of getting your ass into trouble?!"  
Zuse leant over to her with a dark look. "Listen. I am the only one who lets User-believers into his club without harassing them or treating them like dirt. I also helped many wanted programs out of the city and yes, that sometimes got me into trouble, but I do not care about that. Besides, I'm not the one here who kills User-believers in the arena without mercy. Doesn't a saying come to your mind there? You know... glass house... stones...? So don't you dare talk to me in that accusing tone again, is that understood?", he hissed threateningly.  
Susan just stood there, speechless, staring at him.  
He returned the look angrily, but when he saw the tears in her eyes, he let his threatening posture fall and said: "I... I am so sorry, I really didn't want to...!"  
"All right...", Susan whispered, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have rebuke you. You're right..."  
"No, I'm not!" Zuse went around the counter and hugged Susan tightly. "I mean, yes, I'm not an egoist, I'm right with that, but it's totally not your fault that you have to kill at the games..."  
She pushed him away lightly and looked him into the eyes with a smile. "It's okay. I know it's not my fault. I guess, I just overreacted."  
Zuse shook his head and wanted to say something, but she interrupted him with a kiss. She didn't want to talk about this topic. She let go of him and leant against the bar.  
Zuse positioned himself next to her. "I don't help these programs, because neither they nor the other programs on the Grid are ready. I am held in high esteem, indeed, but an attempt to stir up a rebellion against CLU would fail miserably. There are still too many who trust CLU. The few missing programs did not get any attention and therefore did not arouse any scepticism. There is no evidence that CLU has anything to do with that. I also gave up finding out what happened. Anyway, it would be a far too high risk for all programs involved."  
Susan nodded. "I understand. You're right. The time hadn't come."  
Zuse smiled gently. "Good that you are on my side. That means much to me." Then his smile turned into an grin. "Oh and thanks again, my sexy bodyguard."  
She grinned back. "Poor guys... They'll surely never dare come here again!", she laughed.  
"Yes and they certainly sit down there, desperately trying to save the big one's hand.", Zuse said amused.  
"You think they're still here?"  
"I think so. They told me that they got haunted. Hence I offered them to stay, but if they want to be brainless so urgently..."  
"Who haunted them?"  
"I don't know. Probably some henchman of CLU. Well, they should have been more discreet!"  
"Yeah...", Susan replied in thoughts. Then she said: "Zuse, I'm so tired. The fight in the arena and now this... I'll go home now, okay?"  
"All right, sweetheart. Go rest."  
He gently stroke over her cheek, kissed her and smiled at her, before she left.

* * *

When the elevator doors opened, Susan let out a sigh of relief. Like she hoped for, the guys were still here.  
"Hey!", she shouted.  
They looked at her in shock, signifying a fourth program with helmet, that sat in a light runner, to start the motor.  
"No, no, no, stop! I won't harm you! I want to help you."  
The three exchanged confused looks.  
"How do YOU want to help us?!", the big one with the strip of brown hair snapped at her, pantingly holding the stump of his arm.  
Susan sighed and came over to him. "Gimme that, Chewbacca.", she said and quickly took the disc from his back.  
The others stood away from her.  
"Let's see...", she murmured and went through his codes. When she found the damaged part, she fixed it in a twinkling, just as Zuse had showed her, and gave him the disc back. Astonished he synchronised it and a hand began to form on his stump.  
"I want to take part in your... thing. Well, a bit. Even if I seem heartless in the arena, I'm a User-believer too."  
"She wants to screw us!", one of them said.  
"Yeah, Castor wants to plant his little spy!", another said.  
Before she could say something, someone put them to silence. "She comes with us.", the driver of the light runner, who had gotten out of the vehicle in the meantime, ordered in an electronic voice. "But let's go now!"  
The three exchanged looks again and finally nodded to the light runner. Susan followed them and climbed onto the back seat.  
"Thanks for taking me with you, man."  
"No problem, Arris." He turned to her. "I waited for you to find me anyway."  
Susan frowned.  
His helmet formed back and the black haired program smiled at her widely.  
"Took you longer than I thought.", Kyto said.


	6. 6 Reflection

_**Author's Note: Next Chapteeeer *warble* It's quite short but I still have to say something to this one: I would recommend to listen to 'Nocturne' of Daft Punk's **_**TRON: Legacy **_**Soundtrack at the 3rd paragraph (I listened from **_**'Names were written upon it...' **_**to the end) It strongly supports the atmosphere in this moment of the story and cmon, do you really need a reason why to listen to this incredible soundtrack? ;) **_

_**By the way, I updated my profile :D Well... I actually created one, since... I kinda always forgot about that XD so if you wanna know more about myself just have a look at it. If not... well, then you miss out on some awesome sauce. Just sayin... :P**_

_**And now, my lovely programs, ENJOY and please REVIEW**_

* * *

**/Reflection/**

Susan sat on the front passanger seat and listened to Kyto's story.  
He had sent the others ahead, in order to have an undisturbed moment to talk with her. He told her, that, after he had been brought to the arena, he had been sent to the games. He had been terrified, he told her with a slight grin, and had thought that those would be the last microcycles of his life. Then the redeeming message: He would not have to fight that daycycle, since they already had too many combatants. They had brought him to some kind of prison, where some other programs had been jailed, that had already developed an escape plan. After they had managed to break out, Kyto got to know that one of those programs was member of a group called 'The Resistance' and had joined them. Since then he had been the mechanic and driver of the members of the resistance and had already been involved in some battles.  
Susan was really impressed. "Wow... Kyto, I would have never thought of you..."  
"... fighting?"  
She hanged her head. He turned out to be stronger than she had ever expected. "I am sorry..."  
"No, it's okay!", he laughed. "I mean, I almost pissed my pants back then, but I had a certain incentive for all of that."  
"Which one?"  
He smiled. "You."  
She gave him a confused look. "Huh?"  
"When I sat in this jail, I heard some sentries talk about the game that had just taken place. They've been really excited, said that a program called Arris had beaten them all up and was set free by CLU surprisingly. I couldn't believe it! My friend Arris, the star of the games! I later watched another fight of yours and I really was... surprised."  
Susan looked away, flattered.  
"Well...", he said. "We should go in now and talk to the others. Come on."

* * *

"I still think, this is a bad idea."  
Susan was in a room with Kyto, the three she already knew and two other programs, a male and a female.  
As she noticed that those were the majority of the Resistance, she realised that Zuse had been absolutely right. They were badly organised and just not ready.  
The guy that had spoken continued: "She chopped off Kurtz' hand!"  
"And fixed it again.", Kyto said.  
Susan was thankful for his support, though she felt that there was something between them, that he also questioned her. She decided to talk to him about that later, but now she had to take care of herself.  
"I just protected a friend. If he hadn't threatened Castor, I wouldn't have hurt him."  
"Wait a moment.", the female program said. "I thought, you were just his bodyguard."  
Susan shook her head. "No, I'm not his bodyguard. Castor can take care of himself. He just doesn't act that aggressive, at least not as quickly as I do..."  
The others exchanged looks.  
"That means... he is indeed a friend of yours?", Kyto asked in excitement.  
"Sure."  
"And that's mutual? I mean... you're his friend too?"  
Susan laughed. "Uuum... Yeeeeah, of course. Why's that so important to you?"  
One of those she didn't know piped up: "He trusts you. So he would... possibly... if you asked him nicely... bring you to Zuse?"  
She shrugged. "I can go to Zuse whenever I want. We're buddies."  
Their jaws dropped and Susan regretted what she'd said at once.  
"YOU know ZUSE?!"  
"Well..." Susan sighed. She should have never told them. "Yeah, I do."  
"That's awesome!", the female said. "Then YOU can talk to Zuse and make him help us!"  
Susan instantly held up her hands. "No."  
"Oh, come on! That's our chance! Didn't you say you wanted to help us?"  
"Yeah, but..." She hesitated. She didn't want to destroy these programs' hopes. On the other hand they finally had to face the truth, to realise that the time for a resitance had not come yet. "I already spoke to him..."  
Several asked at the same time with wide eyes: "And what did he say?!"  
She shook her head. "He won't help you."  
"WHAT?! WHY?!"  
Susan felt pity for them, indeed, but she couldn't prevent anger coming up inside her.  
Were these programs really that blind? Did they think, they had a chance against CLU, who controlled and reigned over the Grid for almost one and a half centuries? With... ten of them or something?  
She couldn't avoid an annoyed tone in her voice. "Because none of you is ready, that's because." They looked at her uncomprehendingly and furious, but she didn't care. "You're a tiny group of 'revolutionaries', most of the programs on the Grid believe in CLU! You'd have no chance!"  
Kurtz tossed in: "And I thought, you want to help us!"  
"I do!", she answered and tried to calm down. "But you guys have to wake the fuck up and understand that you're not ready yet. You have to strengthen your organization at first and try to get CLU from his throne slowly, not by one act of violence. You have to show the programs what an insidious douchebag he actually is. Only then... WE have a chance."  
Susan paused, waiting for a counter reaction. They looked to the ground, obviously in thoughts.  
"You should go.", one said with a dark voice. "Kyto, get her wherever she wants to go." Before Susan could object, the guy hissed: "And you had better forget that you met us."  
She held his flashing gaze. Did he think she was afraid of him?  
Only when Kyto drew her away lightly, she stopped considering punching this guy's face.

* * *

"What's wrong with them?!"  
Susan sat next to Kyto in his light runner. She had told him to bring her to her apartment and explained the way to him. After that it had been quite silent. Until she began to fret about those programs again.  
"I mean, I just said the truth and they throw me out! No offense, Kyto, but these bit brains are just too stupid for me..."  
He sighed. "Arris, please try to understand. They... can't trust you..."  
"Why not?! I apolozied for what I've done to Kurtz' hand. Didn't you tell them that I believe in Users too?"  
"I did..."  
"Then why the hell can't they just trust me?!"  
"Because you're CLU's toy!"  
Susan winced at Kyto's sudden outburst. She looked at him in shock, he just stared straightforward. Then he sighed, closed his eyes for a moment and took a sharp turn to the left.  
"What... My apartment's in the other direction...", she said.  
"I know, I just have to show you something."  
She looked out of the window and realised that they were out of Downtown.  
After a short drive, Kyto stopped the light runner and stepped out together with Susan.  
They were at the end of a dark alley, a waist-high black block standing amidst it, which Kyto approached now, Susan following. He put his hand on the Block and a database out of light opened. He tipped on a special file, which got projected onto the wall behind them. Names were written upon it, that Susan never heard of.  
"This...", Kyto tipped on one name and a model of a program formed above the block out of beams of light. "This is Aho. He was a good mechanic and loved to listen to stories about Tron. He was really nice and polite. I liked him a lot..."  
Susan noticed the word 'DEREZZED' flashing next to the model.  
"He died in the arena not so long ago."  
He paused for a moment and tipped onto the next name then.  
"This is Grayer. Man, this guy was crazy! He was a bit of a joker, a quite old program, who always prided on having shaked hands with Flynn once. But it was a bad idea of him to spread the story, since the sentries got wind of it and... well... he lost at the games. Also not long ago."  
As she looked at the model, Susan tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it didn't work.  
"And this is Koza." Another model formed in front of her. "He was a pretty young program, written shortly before the Purge. He should become a sentry, but he decided against it and joined our group. He was a good fighter, showed me some things. I'd totally be up a creek without him." Kyto sighed. "I got derezzed too. Today..."  
Susan stiffened, looking at him.  
Before Kyto closed the database, Susan noticed how long the list of names was.  
"What...", she said with shivery voice, when she was finally able to speak again. 'What's that? Why did you show me that?"  
"All those programs have one thing in common." He looked into her eyes. "You derezzed them in the arena."  
She felt how tears flooded her eyes, but she instantly tried to blink them away. "No. That's absolutely impossible. I... There are... They weren't so many..."  
"Yes, Arris, they were." Slowly the tears ran down her cheeks and she looked at Kyto with a desperate expression, just wanted him to stop talking, but he kept right on. "There're 21 of them. All of them believed in Users..."  
She sobbed. "I... I didn't want that! It's not fault!"  
"No, not completely. CLU used you. But you... let him use you... I saw you in the arena... how you let the crowd cheer you, let them celebrate the death of your opponents with a beaming smile. Programs, that believed in what you once believed too!"  
Only now Susan understood what Kyto had meant when he had said that he was surprised seeing her fight in the arena. He had not wanted her to feel flattered, but ashamed.  
"I still believe in Users!"  
"And why didn't you hesitate to kill the others?"  
"I did! I did hesitate! I was the only one who hesitated!"  
"Yeah, but only once, only at the beginning of your first fight. You knew, that they wouldn't have a chance against you, didn't even let them hope. And now you're doing the same thing with us. You destroy any hope of the few programs, that don't want to believe that CLU won and always wll win. THAT's the reason why they..." He bit his upper lip. "... why WE can't trust you."  
Susan looked away.  
Kyto shook his head and sadly said: "I don't know who you are anymore, Arris..."  
She couldn't think. She had wanted to push those thoughts to the back of her mind, but Kyto forced her to face them.  
After a long break he whispered: "Come, I'll bring you home."  
"No.", Susan breathed.  
He frowned.  
She looked up and tried to bring her voice under control. "I'll stay here. I have to..." She took a deep breath. "I have to know, whom I have done this to." Before Kyto could protest against it, she said: "Don't worry, I remember the way. And I found my light baton, the one you lost by the way. I'll manage..."  
He eyed her once again. "Okay..."  
He got into the light runner and drove away.  
Susan looked after him. As he disappeared entirely, she opened the database again and read each of the 21 entries, crying.


	7. 7 Tainted Love (pt 1)

**_Author's Note: Heya :D New Chap ^^ I devided this one into two parts since it's actually quite long. For this part you rather prepare for some cuuuuteness otherwise you'll be like POW! CUTENESS IN MY FACE! NOOOO I CAN'T HANDLE ALL THAT CUTENESS... *Cough* um, well, okay maybe not that, um, weird O_O _**

**_ENJOY, programs, and PLEASE REVIEW!_**

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/Tainted Love (pt 1)/**

It knocked on the door 3 times.  
Then silence again.  
Again it knocked 3 times, this time a bit harder.  
Susan ignored it. She just continued working in front of the screen. Her disc, which she had plugged into the input at her desk, buzzed and in front of her it made *zzzip* every time she shoved a picture on.  
It knocked a last time, then it was quiet again.  
Susan exhaled slowly. Just as she wanted to concentrate on her work again, she suddenly heard a muted hiss and how her apartment door opened. She looked up instantly and turned around with furrowed brow.  
"Susan?", sounded a familiar voice, and Zuse appeared in the doorway of her workroom. "Su- Ah, there you are!"  
She sighed and turned to the luminous pictures in front of her again. "Hey, Zuse. How did you get in here?"  
He grinned and leant against the desk next to Susan. "Remember?" He pointed at himself. "Programming genius!"  
She just raised her brows, without turning at him once. Zuse looked down at Susan sternly, nevertheless she did not react to him, so he positioned himself behind her to have a look at whatever she was doing. There were some names and models of programs on one side and memory sequences on the other, where Susan kept fast-forwarding and rewinding, moving her eyes fast.  
"What are you doing there, darling?"  
"I'm programming, genius...", she said slightly amused, but it had a bitter undertone. Playing offended, he stuck his tongue out at her, before she focused on the screen again. "No, I'm just... searching for something..."  
"Uh-huh..." Zuse got a chair and sat down next to her. "And that was the reason I did not get to see you for more than 10 millicycles, yes?", he said, looking at her warily.  
"Didn't seem so long to me..."  
"But to me!" Concern resonated in his voice. "I already thought you got kidnapped or the like... So I would be very glad, if you explained more precisely what you are doing here."  
"Like I said: I'm searching for something and I'm com...paring..." She became silent again.  
Zuse hated that. He hated it when someone didn't concentrate while talking to him.  
Annoyed he sighed: "Susan..."  
"Sht. Wait, I can't talk now!"  
She was completely focused on the pictures in front of her.  
Zuse angrily looked at her, stood up and took a thin tiny pen out of his sleeve. He separated the two parts it was made of, whereby a shimmering miniature screen formed between his hands, which he held up now, typing in some demands. As he tipped on it one last time, the projections in front of Susan disappeared suddenly and her disc stopped buzzing.  
"What the...?!" Susan quickly turned around, seeing Zuse putting the pen back into his sleeve again. "Did you just hack my disc?!"  
"No, I just cut the connection to your screen..."  
She raised an eyebrow. "I know that you have to hack the disc to be able to do that..."  
"Okay, you've got me there. And now tell me what is going here."  
Susan looked at him for a long moment. Then she sighed and stood up. "Come...", she quietly said and Zuse followed her to the living room, where she sat down on a white couch that stood amidst the room.  
"Well...", she began, as he sat down next to her. "I'm searching for... programs. Programs I... well... have on my conscience. Maybe." While talking, she couldn't look into Zuse's eyes. As she spoke, she felt how the words choked her. "Someone showed me a database, where programs are registered, that died at my hand in the arena, that believed in Users..."  
"Who showed you that database?", he asked with a slightly angry undertone. Zuse knew how much this topic hurt Susan and whoever showed her the database, must be a total idiot.  
"That's of no importance.", she answered. As she continued talking, her voice began to quiver and threatened to break down. "In this database 21 programs are listed. I'm searching for entries in my memory, to see if it's true that I derezzed them. And... up to now... all of them matched. I even found 2 that are not registered in the database..." Susan closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears.  
Zuse didn't say anything. It made him sad that she was taking it to heart, although it really wasn't her fault. Susan, who had always been the strongest program for him, sat next to him now, deeply hurt. Memories of the Purge came to his mind, when she had wept bitterly in the Outlands and he had not been able to do anything against it. Why did she always get tormented? Of all programs, why did she have to take so much all the time?  
"Susan..." Zuse took her hand. "Look at me."  
She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the first tears running down her cheeks.  
"I already told you, that it is not-"  
"My fault?!"  
Susan abruptly stood up, folding her arms while walking out to the balcony.  
"Maybe I got forced to do it", she said, when Zuse followed her out. "Maybe the others didn't hesitate. But that's no excuse for letting all those programs celebrate me, for liking it!" Susan stared at Tron City, trying hard to gulp back her sobs.  
"They had the same choice as you to make.", he whispered. Zuse hugged her from the side, kissed her cheek and quietly continued speaking with closed eyes. "They decided to fight, not only against you, but against all that got in their way. I was at each game. Noone was afraid of you. They had made their decision. That you like the audience to celebrate your victories, is not true. I saw it in your eyes, every time you came into my club after a fight in the arena. You were seeking for distraction, because each of those derezzed programs haunted you in your thoughts. And they still do. I thought, I offered you enough distraction to make you happy, but I obviously was not successfull. I am sorry..."  
She shook her head lightly and murmured: "It's not your fault."  
"Nor is it yours."  
She looked at him with tear-dimmed eyes. Then she lay her head onto his shoulder, giving herself to his embracement completely.  
"What have we become, Zuse?"  
"What CLU has made of us...", he answered sorrowfully.  
They remained in this position for a long time. Then Susan pushed herself away a bit and looked into his eyes, while stroking over his hair with a smile.  
"Do you know that you're the only one who is allowed to touch my hair whenever she wants?", he said laughing.  
"I feel honored!", she said in amusement. Then she eyed him and frowned lightly. "You remind me of... someone... in appearance and... the flamboyant style... Do you know that you..." Susan laughed.  
"That I...?"  
She looked at him with a wide grin. "... that you look like David Bowie?"  
"Like... who?"  
Now she began to laugh so hard, that she let her head fall forward. Then she put her hands on her face, trying hard to stop herself from laughing.  
"Who is that?", Zuse asked impatiently, but Susan wasn't able to answer.  
She dashed into the apartment. "Why didn't I... That... hahaha... is... HAHAHA... YOU LOOK LIKE DAVID BOWIE!", she snorted with laughter.  
Zuse liked it that she seemed happy again, but he slowly felt a bit kidded. He followed her into the apartment, where Susan had already put her disc off her back and into an input on a wall. She giggled, as she tipped onto the little screen in the hole of her disc.  
Suddenly music began to play, a kind of music Zuse had never heard before.  
A piano played a smooth rhythm, accompanied by a clear, sentimental voice that drowned out. Then drums and strings were added and the voice became stronger.  
"Sailors fighting in the dancehall, oh man, look at those cavemen gooo...", Susan sang along with a smile, looking at Zuse.  
He closed his eyes to absorb the music. It appealed to him. When he opened his eyes again, he asked: "And this... this is David Bowie, yes?"  
"Mhm...", she nodded, slowly bobbing to the music. Then she jumped up shortly and excitedly said: "Oh, I'll show you another!"  
She tipped onto the screen again.  
Suddenly it became dark. Music began to play again, this time an even smoother rhythm played by guitars. A moment later her disc projected a life-size model of a man out of luminous dots. He had an accustic guitar in his hands, wore a striped suit and his hair was sticking out on the top while the rest was hanging down to his neck. As if he was really there, he began to sing.  
Susan positioned herself in front of the model and marvelled at it with a light smile. Zuse reached out and stopped shortly in front of the man's face. He seemed fascinated.  
"You are right...", he finally said. "In the matter of flamboyance he is obviously in no way inferior to me..."  
"Yeah... But he's taller than you.", she said teasingly.  
Zuse gave her a faked angry look and focused on the dots in front of him again. "But I seem to be more elegant and have a better outfit."  
"Hey! His glam-outfits were the killer!", Susan laughed. She stood next to Zuse now, looking at the model. "This is a memory of a concert I've been to... It was awesome. I spent all my money just to get there. Back then I didn't worry about the future, just wanted to enjoy the moment and adore David Bowie..."  
Zuse raised an eyebrow. "You liked him?"  
She laughed. "Back then I would have done everything to get into his bed, man!"  
"Why didn't you?"  
"Oh, you know, it's different out there. There are special people who are just... well... unreachable. Because they're famous and so on. And there're also so many women out there. It was really just wishful thinking that of all women I'd be the one that... you know."  
Zuse eyed her from the side. He tried to imagine Susan as screaming fan, like the two girls, that had totally freaked out when they had met Tron and the Creator, he had seen once. She was always so tough. That she could be different too, amused him.  
"Did you also dance at these... festivals?", he interrupted her thoughts.  
"Um..." She took her gaze from the singing figure and looked at Zuse. "We didn't really dance at concerts. It was more like... jumping. But we danced when music like that was on the radio."  
"The way you do in the club?"  
"Well, it depends which song was playing." She nodded to the figure. "To a song like this we didn't dance like we'd do in a club."  
Zuse grinned lightly, putting his right hand onto her left hip and turned her to him. "And how did you dance?"  
She smiled. "Well, calmer of course. Slower and... tighter... and..."  
She stopped talking, as Zuse lay her left hand onto his shoulder and took her right one into his own. Then he slowly took a step forwards and backwards and before she knew what was happening... they were waltzing slowly.  
"Wow...", Susan breathed. "Where did you learn that?"  
Zuse grinned. "You should stop wondering about my extraordinary skills, my dear. I've seen it in a book, by the way."  
"Ah yeah, your little library.", she remembered and lay her head onto his shoulder.  
Susan felt so good in that moment. She was relaxed, but somehow excited too. No matter how upset she'd been earlier, now she was happy, thanks to him. Thanks to Zuse.  
She looked up.  
Zuse smiled lightly.  
"Thank you...", she whispered, as they put their foreheads together with closed eyes.  
"No problem, Susan."  
When he said her name with such a tenderness, she felt more secure than ever before.  
She lifted her lids again. Their eyes met.  
"..._THIS IS GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM_...", the figure in the middle of the room sang as the two programs kissed passionately.

* * *

"Another drink, Arris?", the bartender asked.  
She grinned. "You really think I'd ever say no, Shaddix?"  
He laughed and mixed another.  
Zuse had persuaded her not to think about these programs in the arena anymore and come to the club to relax again. She didn't know what caused that exactly, but the music seemed louder to her, the rooms brighter and the people even happier than usual. That was probably due to the fact that she had been absent for more than 4 daycycles. The programs in the club, not only the guests but also the staff, had smiled at her, waved at her and given her a warm welcome, as if she had been away for cycles. Here she felt well. It felt like home.  
"Here you go."  
Shaddix put down a glass of orange liquid in front of her.  
"Thanks!"  
Whilst drinking, she observed the programs around her. Some danced exuberantly to the electrifying music, some a bit more timidly. But that didn't matter, as long as you really enjoyed yourself.  
She couldn't spot Zuse, since he had retired to his lounge with a white-haired siren earlier, when Susan had gone to the bar. She hadn't been able to recognise her 100 per cent, but Susan was pretty sure that it was the one that had equipped her at her first game.  
"How can you afford all those drinks anyway? It's damn expensive here.", came a familiar voice next to here. Kyto leant against the bar, smirking at her.  
After a little pause, Susan answered: "They're on the house. Castor takes care of his friends."  
He laughed. "I'd like to take care of this friend he took into his lounge earlier..."  
Laughing, she slapped his arm.  
"Jealous or something?", he asked playfully.  
She held up her glass. "Unlimited free drinks! What more could one want?"  
"So you're not one of..." Kyto nodded up to Zuse's lounge.  
She frowned. Then she understood. "Oh! No... I'm not one of these... one-way molls, that will never be more than a one-night stand."  
"Aaaaand... still you have unlimited free drinks..."  
"My relationship to Castor is none of your business, Kyto. Got it?"  
He held up his hands in defense. "Yes, of course it's not! Sorry..."  
A short moment of silence between them followed. Kyto thoughtfully looked down to the ground and Susan took a sip of her drink.  
Then Kyto looked at her. "... One-way molls?"  
Susan nearly choked on her drink as she snorted with laughter. Only when both calmed down a bit, she was able to say: "Shaddix, a drink for him too, please!"  
"Sure, what do you want, boy?"  
"Surprise me."  
"Good choice.", the bartender answered with a smile.  
"So..." Susan put her glass down. "How and why did you come to the EOLC?"  
"I told the bouncers I was a friend of yours and showed them this image file I have on my disc, you know this one we took of us cycles ago."  
She laughed. "You still have that one?"  
"Sure! And why... well, I had to talk to you..."  
Susan's face became serious. "If it's about this list of programs..."  
"No! I should have never showed you that... I am sorry."  
She smiled lightly. "It's okay. Really. Just... forget it."  
"Okay... Anyway, I had to talk to you about..." He leant over to her and whispered: "'The Resistance'."  
Shaddix gave him his drink, as Susan asked: "What about it?"  
"We wanted to ask if you're still interested."  
She laughed. "Interested in joining an organization that threw me out, because I told them the truth? I mean, yeah, I shouldn't have slapped it into their faces, but it still seems a bit touchy to me..."  
"We need your help."  
She looked at him in surprise. "MY help?"  
He put his hand on her arm, giving her a guilty look. "I am really sorry that we treated you like that. Especially me. You were right about everything you've said. We can survive but... not fight. No, we're not ready. But we can't just stand by idly. Though... we have no idea where to start. There you come into play. Do you want to help us restart? Build up something... good?"  
Susan thoughtfully looked away.  
This troop was miles away from being a good resistance against CLU. How should she tackle that? How should she contrive, that they were getting hailed as heroes instead of CLU? A difficult task to undertake...  
'Challenge accepted.', she thought. "Okay. I'll help you. What am I supposed to do?"  
Kyto frowned. "Really? You'll help us?"  
"I just said that, didn't I?"  
He laughed. "Yeah, sorry... I was just... prepared for a way longer conversation. That you're accepting immediately, dumbfounds me a bit."  
Susan smiled. "Alright. You caught me at a good moment. But now... How am I supposed to help you?"  
"Well, um, since you told us that we're not ready yet, we hoped you'd have some suggestions..."  
"Great.", she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment to concentrate. "Okay. Well, I would strongly recommend a fight training. In case you get into trouble with sentries. Moreover, all of you would be prepared if the recognizers caught you. Although one should say that your chances against them would still be virtually zero..."  
"But YOU made it! If you trained us, then-"  
"I was incredibly lucky! Besides, I have no idea why CLU released me. Anyway, all that's no use if the Grid's population is against you. You first have to win them over to your side..."  
"...to our side.", Kyto said, smiling at Susan.  
She smiled back. "Our side. You're right."  
"And do you have a plan how to accomplish that?"  
"Hm... CLU has dirt under his carpet, does bad things most programs don't even know about. But noone could prove it so far... We have to find a leak in his 'perfect' strategy. Something that makes everyone doubt him. Something..." Susan looked up, when a thought came to her mind. "I'll talk to Castor about that. Shad, upstairs please."  
Shaddix nodded and pushed some button under the counter, whereby the stairs to Zuse's lounge hovered down.  
As she wanted to go, Kyto grabbed her arm. "Um... Wouldn't it be better you waited here until he comes down?"  
She soothingly wagged her hand. "Pff, that doesn't bother him. Trust me."  
There she already wound through the dancing programs. She hoped that it really wouldn't bother him too much, since he had a guest with him. A really attractive guest. And Susan would disturb them. For the resistance, of course...

Before she stepped onto the stairs, she took a deep breath. Whatever she was going to disturb up there was not as important as the resistance-thing. Zuse had to talk to her.  
She went upstairs, concealing her eyes with her hand as she entered. "Uh, sorry, that I... uh... disturb you, I just really have to..."  
"Arris? What are you doing?", she heard Zuse's amused voice.  
Slowly she let her hand sink and spotted the two sitting on a bench to her right. Clothed and completely innocent.  
"Sorry, I didn't want to bother you, but I have to talk to you, Castor. Just for a nanocycle..."  
"You do not have to apologise. Gem was just about to go anyway."  
The siren smiled and they stood up.  
"I hope we will meet again soon, my dear.", he said as he kissed the back of her hand.  
"I hope so too.", she answered with a seductive voice. Then she tottered down to the club, smiling at Susan as she did so.  
"Um, I'm really sorry if I disturbed you two doing... whatever."  
Zuse laughed joyfully. While he brought two empty glasses, that have been standing on one of the side tables, to the little bar, he said: "Gem is a programme with class. She would not let herself get carried away to... whatever you thought we would do here."  
"Okay. So I wanted to talk to you about... Wait. Does that mean I have no class, because I immediately...?"  
He grinned. "Susan, it took us approximately 450 cycles to get there. Believe me, sweetheart, you won the trial of patience and class." He took a bottle from the shelf behind the counter. "So. Is it about that boy, who stared at you the whole evening long?"  
Susan frowned. "Huh?"  
"Before I went upstairs with Gem, I spotted a young bundle with black hair who watched you..."  
"Oh, you mean Kyto!"  
"Ah, he brought himself to speak to you. How brave..."  
She laughed. "No, I know Kyto for a long time. I met him when I lived on the streets, remember, the time you have already been part of the high society and I... homeless."  
"And why didn't he talk to you straight away?"  
"Well, we had an argument the last time I've seen him. That was about 10 millicycles ago..."  
Zuse abruptly stopped mixing new drinks. "One moment. Was he the program who showed you this database?"  
"Yes, but please forget that! I have to talk to you about something different concerning him."  
He sighed. "Alright. Go ahead."  
She told him about everything that had happened at 'The Resistance', what she spoke with Kyto now, simply everything.  
"Well, and now I don't know where to start. I mean, CLU has so much power... How should I wrench it from him?"  
"Hm..." Zuse thought for a moment. "I am not quite sure, but perhaps you should examine this thing about these missing programmes."  
"Yes, that'd be a good beginning."  
"Mhm... But, Susan..." He gently put his hand on her arm. "... are you really sure you want to join in all that? It is a high risk for you. You are pretty famous and CLU has his snitches everywhere. He even has a new bodyguard, who is claimed to be an invincible fighter. It could become very dangerous for you..."  
She smiled lightly. "I'll watch myself."  
Zuse looked at her in concern. He had the feeling that it was a mistake to let her do that, but he wouldn't be able to stop her anyway. "Okay. But Zuse won't help this resistance, even though they now have the strong, sexy Arris."  
Susan grinned. "I can handle this."

* * *

**_Author's Note: In case you didn't know the songs Susan was showing to Zuse (if so then SHAME ON YOU! ò.ó), the first one is called 'Life on Mars' and the second one is called 'Space Oddity' (YOU SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW THIS ONE! If not... SHAAAAME ON YOUUUU!)_**


	8. 7 Tainted Love (pt 2)

**/Tainted Love (pt 2)/**

The beginnings of the training were tough. Not only for the other members of 'The Resistance'. Susan had to keep herself from freaking out frequently, since these programs really had no idea of fighting and always wanted to tell her how she should do her job. Fortunatley, there was Kyto, who always reminded them of Arris being the champion of the games. Contrary to the others, he always listened attentively, when she was trying to explain something. Though, she treated him like everyone else whilst training.  
It was exhausting - she barely had time to go to Zuse, since she was always so tired that she just went home and let herself fall into her bed - though, she really liked it. Teaching others, what Tron had taught her many cycles ago, felt incredibly good and it made her proud. And even though it took a while, the members of 'The Resistance' became better and better.  
"Yes, good. Always mind your defence.", Susan said, while passing by the row of training programs. "Very good, Bing, but watch your right arm."  
The program nodded and repeated the exercise, heeding her advice thereby.  
"Kurtz, you have to put you feet further apart, otherwise you don't have a strong position and will tumble."  
As reply he just grumbled and continued like before.  
Susan looked at him with raised brows, twisted around, kicking into his side thereby, so that he tumbled to the ground.  
"No. Strong. Position."  
The others laughed quietly and Kurtz stood up with a grim expression. Susan held his gaze. "Kyto?"  
He stepped forward. "Yeah?"  
She looked at him. "Kick me."  
"Huh?"  
"Like I just did with him. Don't worry, I won't fight back."  
He hesitated, then took position though, as Susan did, too. He gave her a kick as he spun around, but instead of tumbling like Kurtz, she just took a step backwards, in order to shift her weight.  
When she asked: "See?", everyone nodded. Then she turned to Kurtz again. "You have to do what I tell you, if you want to be able to do something like that. It's for your own good. Sentries kick you harder than I just did. Okay?"  
He sighed and nodded.  
"Good. But now, let's call it a day."  
As everyone packed their things, Kyto came over to Susan. "Great lesson today!"  
"Yeah, great kick, by the way. You practiced since last time, didn't you?", she said with a smile.  
He scratched his head. "Thanks and yes, a bit. Didn't it hurt?"  
She looked at him a raised eyebrow. "Oh, come on. I had to put up with far worse things in the past."  
Kyto eyed her as she tidied away the training weapons. "Um, Arris?"  
"Yes?"  
"Would you... would you like to go out today? To the End Of Line Club for example. I mean, I know you like this club so..."  
She laughed. "You ask ME, who virtually lives there already?"  
"I'll take that as a 'Yes'."

* * *

When they arrived at the club, they immediately cut their way to the big bar in the middle, where Shaddix prepared some drinks for them.  
Susan looked around, searching for Zuse, though she couldn't spot him, what irritated her a bit.  
Kyto interrupted her thoughts. "What do you think, how long will it take until we're ready for our first 'missions'?"  
She smirked. "You're getting impatient, eh?"  
"A bit.", he laughed. "I just want to prove myself..."  
"Everyone wants that." With a tender look she placed her hand on his upper arm. "Don't worry. I'm sure your time will come soon."  
"And I hope we can do it together then...", he said with a smooth voice and put his hand on hers.  
"Sure!" Laughing, she stripped her hand from his grasp and took her glass that Shaddix held out to her. "I would much rather fight with you than with any other from our group. Your chances of survival are higher. The others would get derezzed in a few microcycles! I could use you as shield far longer...", she teased him.  
"Haha..."  
"Oh, come on, I'm just joking!"  
He laughed. "I know. Don't worry, I don't get pissed that easily."  
Susan smiled, then a thought came to her mind: "Did the two guys I sent out already find out something about this new bodyguard of CLU's?"  
"His name is Rinzler. They could only hear rumours so far, but it's said that he was pitiless, as if CLU controlled him completely. And they say he was the best in fighting, better than Tron..."  
"Impossible.", she answered quick as a shot. It made her furious that so many appearently had already forgot how good Tron really had been, since noone, really noone, could ever be as good as he had been.  
"Well, maybe we can get an idea of this guy soon. Reputedly he shouldn't only serve as CLU's bodyguard anymore, but lead the black guards and scour the whole Grid for rebellious program."  
She sipped on her drink and said: "Well, then we'll have a brush with him sooner than we thought."  
"I'm not concerned by that. We didn't do anything apart from nosing around a bit until now." Susan looked at the dancing programs in thoughts. Kyto sighed. "You don't have to worry, Arris." He put his own drink down, eyeing her from the side. She was really pretty...  
"Tell me... Do you want to dance?"  
She blinked and looked at him. "Uh, I don't know..."  
"Oh, come on. After such a training I want to enjoy myself!"  
She raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Hey, isn't my presence enough for you?"  
"One dance.", he laughed. "If it's no fun you can return the kick from earlier."  
"Uuuh, that's a deal!"  
She lead the way to the dancefloor, moving to the electrifying music there. Kyto came to her and they laughed and danced, with a certain distance in between. Susan enjoyed it. Against her expectations. She lifted her arms and closed her eyes, taking in the music around her.  
In a fluent passage the acoustic colour changed and a darker, more exciting rhythm raised.  
Susan slowly opened her eyes because of the musical alteration and spotted Zuse standing in a corner of the club, watching her. He held his glass cane in his right hand, with it lying on his shoulder. His gaze seemed to pierce her.  
Suddenly she got pushed away a bit, whereby she lost sight of him. She searched for a gap between the dancing programs, though, when she finally could see the corner again, Zuse had disappeared. She frowned and tried to look around, as she felt a hand on her hip.  
"I think we have to... close ranks, if we don't want to drift apart...", Kyto said in a shy tone.  
"Huh?" Susan was totally confused, but understood by his touch. "Oh, uhm, yeah okay..."  
She danced to the music again, closer to Kyto.  
On his palm he felt how her hip moved in circles. He took a deep breath and dared to put his second hand on her other side too, so that he also felt the circular motion here. Susan didn't seem to care, or rather, to notice, since she constantly looked around while dancing.  
There. There he was again. At the bar.  
Susan's heart took a leap, when she saw his gaze. Like a lurking predator he fixated her, his lips indicating a light grin. He took a sip from the glass filled with orange liquid in his hand, without interrupting the eye contact only once.  
Susan looked away. She was dancing with Kyto now. It'd be rude if she focused on anything else but him right now. Zuse should know that and not try to distract her.  
She tried to concentrate her attention wholeheartedly onto her dancing partner, smiled at him and put her arm onto his shoulder to have a better foothold.  
The moving programs around them pushed them back and forth a bit, until Kyto stood with his back to the bar... and Susan had perfect view on Zuse again.  
He leant there, totally relaxed, grinning a bit more than before and with his cane on the shoulders. Susan watched how his eyes wandered down, studying her body, and slowly up again.  
He had to stop! She knew exactly what he had in mind, and literally every bit inside her system just wanted nothing more than to make her walking over to him...  
Zuse closed his eyes. He licked over his upper lip with relish, exhaling with a moan, which was drowned out by the loud music, but Susan knew that it was there. When he lifted his lids, fixating her with his incredibly intense look again, she couldn't hold it anymore. Her throat let a quiet moan escape and she clung to Kyto, her only possibility to stop herself from fainting right there on the dancefloor.  
'Wow', Kyto thought. He had not expected her to be so aroused just by dancing, but her moan proved otherwise. Should he tell her about his feelings before they took the first step? 'Yes', he thought.  
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a voice came behind him. "May I cut in?"  
Zuse didn't even wait for a reply, just took Susan's hand and gently pulled her to himself. She exhaled shivery, as their pelves met.  
Dancing? No. She didn't want to dance anymore.  
"Upstairs." Susan grabbed Zuse's hand and with laughter they hastened up to his lounge, leaving Kyto standing there with a stern look.

* * *

"Great. Now you two."  
Susan watched the two programs charge at each other. The training made progress, though she knew that it still would take a long time until it came into use.  
As one of the two managed to make the other fall to the ground, Susan said: "Okay, stop. That was good. Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow I'll show you how to fight with a light sword."  
While everyone packed up their things, she walked over to Kyto. "Hey!", she said with a wide smile.  
"Hey.", he answered not as enthusiastic.  
She grimaced. "Are you mad at me, because I left you alone yesterday?" Before he could answer, she added: "You have to understand, I've known Castor for such a long time and..."  
"It's okay, Arris! I'm not mad at you." He smiled at her. "It was just... strange to drive alone. It's funnier two by two."  
"I am sorry."  
He tried hard to make a happy face. "Nevermind."  
"Okay. Do you... want to go out today again? I swear, I won't let you alone this time!"  
"To... the End Of Line?"  
She nodded.  
"Um... I'm not sure..."  
"Oh, come on. Training was hard today and dancing with you was so much fun!"  
'Yeah, sure, that's why you prefered to get laid by Castor...', he thought grimly, but said: "Yes, it did, but... can't we do that in another club?"  
"Nooo... I know everyone in the EOLC and I get free drinks!", she laughed.  
He sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

"Two, Shaddix.", she panted with a smile.  
She had danced with Kyto all the time, without a break, and was out of breath and thirsty now.  
"You should be careful, my dear.", Zuse said, whom she spotted leaning against the bar next to her only now.  
"Hello. I haven't seen you the whole evening long. How are you today?"  
He grinned. "Due to an adorable lady I had in my lounge yesterday, I am still very relaxed. Thanks for asking."  
"Oh man, I really hope you mean me...", she joked. "By the way, what do you mean with 'You should be careful'? I won't flake out right away after two drinks, don't worry, honey."  
"No, I meant concerning your friend." Zuse came closer, grinning. "He has a crush on you."  
"Kyto? Bullshit. He's just a friend."  
"Maybe for you, but I noticed how he is looking at you. Perhaps you send out the wrong signals."  
"What signals?"  
"Well, yesterday, for instance, you danced quite close with him..."  
"No, you misunderstand that, he's just a... just a..."  
"Friend. I got that. But you should contain yourself a bit more, before he gets too disappointed in the end..."  
She laughed. "Do I hear jealousy here?"  
"Pardon?", he said with raised brows. "Dearie me, that is wishful thinking."  
She emptied the glass at one gulp. "Listen, Castor..." She took the second one. "I don't want it to happen ever again. I mean, that I just left Kyto standing there, because I... wanted to satisfy my needs. So I will end this conversation now with a modest 'Haha, you're jealous!' and go away with my head held high. Adieu!"  
Just as she turned around to the dancefloor again, Zuse said: "Considering that you could only scream my name last night, you throw around with quite big words today..."  
Susan turned around and quickly slapped the glass out of Zuse's hand. He looked at her in faked shock.  
"Oh, she didn't!", Susan laughed.  
Zuse shook his head lightly. "You cruel woman...Only monsters waste such a good drink."  
She shrugged with a grin and walked over to Kyto again.

* * *

'The Resistance' became stronger. There had been even 2 new programs who joined them the last half cycle and the members became ever better in fighting, especially Kyto, who seemed to take her instructions more seriously than any other of the team. They would be ready soon, Susan thought sometimes. Soon, they would be able to fight against CLU.  
But after the training she still needed to relax in the EOLC, which she often times did together with members of the resistance, especially Kyto.  
"Arris!", Zuse said in an exuberant voice, before he planted a kiss on her cheek. "How are you, darling?"  
"Everything's fine."  
"And Kyto. What a pleasure to see you here again, too."  
In order to be polite, Kyto held out his hand to him, which Zuse masterfully ignored by going in for a closer look at Susan. "Oh, Arris, your circuitry colour is all pale! And yours too, my friend. Here..." He held a little lumious card out to Kyto with a smile. "Be a good boy and get us three a drink, sweetheart. You do not have to pay if you give this to Shaddix."  
Susan smirked at Zuse, took the card and turned to Kyto. "Just get yourself a drink. You deserve it after this hard training. I don't want one, thanks. And Castor is already hyped enough, he won't need a drink either..."  
Kyto hesitated, before he went to the bar as he was told.  
"Why are you so nasty?", Susan laughed.  
"What do you mean? I am kind as always. I even offered him a free drink and you took this golden opportunity from him."  
She sighed. "Sure. But please try to be more polite. He is a very good friend."  
Zuse raised his eyebrow. "A friend who rubs your nose in having killed 21 programs, oh yes, I really need to get one like that, too..."  
"Please..." She looked to the bar, noticing Kyto observing them while waiting. She turned to Zuse again. "I already think that he doesn't like you, anyway."  
"The feeling is mutual, dearest."  
"Behave yourself, okay?"  
Zuse grinned. "What do you give me for that? I mean... It will be incredibly hard to behave now that you look so gorgeous again..."  
"Firstly: Thank you! Secondly: Just behave, got it?"  
He nodded and she wound through the programs to Kyto.  
"I remember a time when you got mad just because someone mentioned the name Castor.", Kyto said grimly.  
"Well, back then I didn't know him."  
"For me it's the direct opposite: I liked him more when I didn't know him."  
"Be nice, yes?"  
"Why? He's not nice either! This snob disturbs us all the time!"  
She turned at him with a stern look. "Okay, listen. I don't want you to talk about him like that. He is an unbelievably good friend and if you think that I would talk about him like that behind his back, you're mistaken."  
"I bet he says much about me too and you simply let him get away with it."  
"Do you really think I'm so devious?! If he says anything mean about you, and believe me, he never does that as directly as you do, I defend you just like him. And now let's talk about something different, dammit..."  
Kyto sighed. "Alright. Have you heard about the programs that have seen this Rinzler in action?"  
"Yeah, Castor told me about it."  
"They say he's stronger, faster and just better than every program they're ever seen."  
Susan snorted. "Tron was better."  
"I've never seen Tron in action..."  
"I have and he was incredible."  
Kyto eyed her. She was so mysterious. When they're first met cycles ago, she hadn't told him anything about herself, only that she had helped sentries sometimes, which was why she was that good in fighting. Had she possibly helped Tron too? Had she known him? Had she also known other powerful programs like CLU, which was be the reason why she was the only one he spared? She knew Zuse personally too, so why not CLU?  
Questions upon questions bustled around her mind, but he pushed them aside. For now, he didn't have to know more about her than that she was his best friend and that he wanted her affection more than anything else.  
"Arris, do you want to dance?"  
She looked at him in surprise. "From Tron to dance? Okay."  
She took his hand and pulled him to the dancefloor.  
Gleefully they moved to the music, enjoyed the atmosphere in the club, enjoyed their time together, enjoyed themselves. After a while Kyto came a bit closer. He didn't touch her, but he didn't even have to to feel that tingling sensation in his stomach. He just had to look at her, think of her, watching her dance like now.  
He had to ask her. He had to know if she also liked him more than they admitted.  
Suddenly there was this voice again.  
"Arris!" Zuse wound through the dancing programs elegantly until he reached Susan. He grabbed her arm, whispering: "I have to tell you something!" and let the stairs to his private lounge hover down.  
Before they could go upstairs, Kyto grabbed her other arm and angrily said: "No, you'll leave her here."  
"Kyto, what the fuck?", Susan hissed.  
Zuse sighed, smiling at Kyto. "Don't worry, kid, I'll bring her back in a microcycle. But now I really have to speak to her about something of importance."  
"I don't give a damn. You can't just collar her whenever you want! You did that several times and this is the limit!"  
"I do not have all day, my dear. Let go of her."  
"You don't have all day, nonsense! You just always hang around here anyway!"  
In the meantime most of the programs in the club stopped dancing to listen the argument. Susan just looked from Zuse to Kyto in excitement. What was wrong with Kyto?  
Zuse laughed. "Well, if you lead a club, you should spend most of your time there. But I realise such a bit brain like you, which lives somewhere on the streets under an improvised roof, would not have any idea of business."  
"Castor!", Susan hissed.  
"No, let him talk! This asshole doesn't know anything about living in poverty!"  
Susan's eyes widened. What did he just say about Zuse?!  
"Boy, are you really that naive to believe that all that simply dropped into my lap? I built it with ambition and dilligence. Two words, you have certainly never heard before. Do you want me to file them into your disc, lovely?", Zuse answered, never letting the grin on his face fall.  
"You only have all of this because you know Zuse, although that is not as great as you think, considering what a coward he actually is!"  
A murmur went through the crowd.  
Susan broke away from Kyto. "How dare you...?!"  
"No, Arris, let him finish, please. I want to hear THAT." Zuse's grin had become a bitter one.  
"Well, I mean, why is he hiding if he's really such a hero? In my opinion, and believe me, I'm not alone with this one, all those stories about him are lies! Made up to make him famous and rich, just like you. He surely never helped ISOs, never fought for them."  
Zuse looked increasngly furious. His eye and circuitry colour became more glaring, assuming a light orange tone at its edges.  
Kyto ignored it, just continued speaking. "He betrayed them with his cowardice! He betrayed the ISOs and Users and is hiding now, because he's ashamed of it!"  
Bewildered, Susan and the others in the club stared at Kyto. Everything he said was so wrong, so damn wrong! And everyone knew that. He obviously just wanted to make his opponent extremely furious. And he made it.  
A pause of oppressing silence followed, that seemed like an eternity, as the two just glared at the other.  
"Arris?", Zuse finally said with a dark voice, without taking his gaze from Kyto. "Put a leash on your little doggie and take him out of my sight, at once."  
She nodded. "Go, Kyto.", she murmured. He wanted to protest, but she spitted at him: "I said go!"  
He hesitated briefly, then marched to the elevator.  
Susan turned at Zuse, looking regretfully. "Castor, I am so-"  
"Save it." Everyone noticed how hard he tried to suppress his anger. His voice sounded threatening. "Just ensure that I will never have to see him again, is that understood?"  
Then he turned away from her, going up to his lounge.  
Susan closed her eyes for a moment and went to the elevator then, ignoring the gazes of the other programs in the club. Kyto stood next to her, watching her press the Button to go down quickly.  
As the doors closed, he began: "I-", but Susan just held her hand up.  
"Don't you dare to say a word.", she said with grinding teeth.  
So Kyto kept quiet the whole trip downwards.  
When the doors opened again, Susan quickly stomped out. She had had enough of everyone today and just wanted to go home, calm down.  
"He deserved it!", Kyto suddenly said behind her.  
She turned around lightning fast, grabbing him by his black jacket. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!", she shouted and shoved him away so brutally that he almost fell to the ground, if there wasn't a wall behind him to give him foothold.  
He looked at her in shock without saying anything.  
She glared at him and snorted. "Kyto, you... have no clue of anything!" She held her hands up as if she wanted to strangle him, snarled then and hit the wall behind him instead. "Do you know how humiliating it was for him to let somebody talk like that in his own club?! I mean he only spared you because he knew that you were my friend!"  
"I'm sorry but I really don't care about Castor's feelings..."  
"But I do! He's my best friend! You don't even realise how severe your imputations against him actually were! He knew several ISOs and we had to witness how they died! He tried to help them, tried to save them so hard, but he couldn't! It was the most terrible time in his whole program life and you, damn idiot, just trample on this experiences!"  
She turned to go. Susan just wanted to stop talking, before she lost control over herself and hurt Kyto.  
"What are you talking about?" She ignored what he said, just kept on going down the place in front of the elevator to the wide street. "I thought we talked about Castor now, not Zuse."  
She stiffened. After a short pause she turned around and said with an annoyed voice: "I know, I meant Castor."  
Kyto frowned. "Castor didn't fight for the ISOs."  
"I know! Don't treat me like I was dumb, dammit! I meant Zuse, I was talking about Zuse."  
Kyto thought for a moment. "And you said 'we'..."  
"Huh?"  
"'We had to witness how they died'. I thought you didn't know Zuse before you got to know Castor..."  
"I..." She snorted. "You confuse me! I'll go home now!"  
Kyto watched her, as she walked down the little place, taking her light baton from her leg.  
What was wrong with her now?  
Then it hit him.  
No, it couldn't possibly be true. He couldn't be... No. Although... it would explain why she was mixing everything up now and why she liked Castor so much after she met him and why she knew...  
Just as Susan wanted to seperate the two parts of her baton, Kyto ran over to her, shouting: "Arris, please, tell me I didn't!"  
"You didn't... what?"  
"I didn't... insult Zuse himself right now, did I?"  
She tried to control her facial expressions. "Um... What do you mean?"  
He looked at her for a moment. Then his jaw dropped. "Ohhh shit!"  
"Oh shit...", Susan whispered.  
He knew it.  
"I thought he's just protecting him!"  
"Well, sometimes a name is already enough protection..." She sighed, grabbed him by his arm and pulled him back to the elevator, where they leant against the wall next to it. "Okay, listen. I will derezz you if you tell anybody that Castor is actually Zuse. Really, Kyto, I will...!"  
"Got you. B-but... Please, I don't understand..."  
"Zuse and I were friends way before the Purge. And I didn't know about this Castor thing, which was why I didn't like Castor at first, since I thought he would try to copy Zuse. But when I came here after my first fight... Well, we met again. We were friends again. The best friends. I'm the only one who knows about his origin and he's the only one who knows about mine..."  
Kyto frowned. "What do you mean, Arris?"  
She hesitated. "... My name is Susan, not Arris. I... I am..."  
Suddenly there was the buzzing noise of a big vehicle behind them. Susan turned around quickly and saw a truck with orange circuitry colour parking near by them. 2 sentries and a administrative looking program with likewise orange circuitry colour got out and approached them.  
Susan frowned and whispered: "Kyto, stay behind me.", as she took a step forward, so that she was in a protective position in front of him. It smelled like trouble.  
The administrative one held a little screen up, comparing the picture on it with Susan while walking.  
"Arris.", he said in a polite tone, when he and the others came to stand in front of her and Kyto. In Susan's opinion, his smile was disgusting.  
"Who wants to know that?"  
"My name is Jarvis. I'm the senior secretary of CLU and I'm here to take you with me."  
She sighed. "My next fight will only be in half a cycle at least. So piss off, senior secretary!"  
"Oh, it's not about fighting. The liberator himself would like to talk to you."


	9. 8 Impact

**/Impact/**

Millions of thoughts rushed through her mind.  
CLU surely had found her with the help of one of his spies. If she just had been more careful... What would happen now? Why did CLU want to talk to her? Would he recognise her? Had he already recognised her? Should she try to flee now?  
She couldn't really concentrate, as she walked with these 3 programs to a platform, where a single airship obviously waited for them.  
Susan looked around. She spotted several escape routes, but should she really run away now? No, she would stay, listen to what CLU had to tell her and leave again. And if someone tried to block her, she would simply clear the way. She wasn't champion of disc fighting for nothing.  
At the entrance of the airship stood 2 sentry programs that Susan and the program named Jarvis passed now, without any of the sentries moving. They reached a door.  
Suddenly the floor vibrated and a loud buzzing arose. The airship took off. She had not expected that. But it changed nothing. They hadn't divested her of anything, neither her disc, nor her light baton, which could form into a light jet if necessary. So, there was no barrier she couldn't brake down in case of an escape, which calmed her down a bit.  
They waited in front of this door until they had reached a certain level of height. As soon as the airship only flew straightforward, the door opened with a hiss.  
At the front was a big bay, a window, through which one had a wonderful view over the Grid. In front of this window stood a tall figure, with the back to them, brown hair, clothed in black with dark yellow circuitry colour.  
"Sir, as I was told I brought you the fighter.", Jarvis said overhumbly.  
'Bumlicker.', Susan thought, though couldn't even put up a weary smile considering the circumstances.  
Her heart was racing.  
There he stood, not far away from herself. The man who had so many programs on his conscience. The man who she was hiding from for so many cycles. The man... she would like to kill.  
He turned around. Her heart skipped a beat.  
Seeing his smiling face now evoked mixed feelings. Loathing and fury on the one hand, on the other hand a certain warm familiarity, since they had been friends for such a long time and because he looked like Flynn.  
"Arris." His voice was totally calm. If Susan wouldn't know him, she could consider his smile as affectionate. Still, she knew better. He was just concealing something behind it. Like he did many cycles ago, every time he had been smiling at Ophelia.  
"The champion of the games. Good to see you." Since no reply came from her, he eyed her up for a moment, then looked at Jarvis and ordered: "Leave us alone."  
He bowed low and stepped out of the door that closed behind him.  
CLU strolled around her. "You're so silent. What's wrong?"  
She looked into his eyes shortly and averted her gaze then.  
Thereupon he just laughed. "Still stubborn, eh? I always admired that, Susan, I still do today."  
She looked at him again.  
"And you didn't lose any of your strength. Quite the contrary, you are way better than in former times. Simply unbelievable what you deliver in the arena. The born fighter."  
"I wasn't written for your entertainment, CLU.", she said with a dark voice.  
"Of course not." He now stood in front of her, still smiling. "I've been searching for you a long time, you know? And when you suddenly turned up at the games... Well, I was really happy to see you, Sue."  
Inside, Susan was seething.  
He was so close... She could just leap at him, breaking his neck in nanocycles... No, the time hadn't come yet. The inhabitants of the Grid would mourn and fight for him. She had to hold back.  
Slowly and with a grim expression on her face, she shook her head. "What do you want from me? Why did you release me?"  
He looked at her with a grin. "I wouldn't let old friends die in an unfair game, would I?"  
She laughed bitterly. "And Tron?"  
"I wasn't friends wth him really, at least never the way we were." He took a flick of her hair into his hand. "Black fits you."  
She slapped his hand aside, looking angrily into his eyes. "Do you really think I would forgive you? You killed my friends, killed the ISOs and you wanted to kill me too, but you didn't make it. And now, after 150 cycles almost, you get me here and think everything would be like it was before you betrayed us all?!"  
"I got you here to make a proposal." Again, he walked around Susan, coming to a stand behind her. Nearly whispering he submitted his offer. "You will reign over the Grid. On my side. As partner. Everything here will be ours and maybe more after a bit of time. The programs will love you, Susan, the queen of the Grid..."  
Susan clenched her fists. "If you think I'm a traitor like you, you're so damn mistaken.", she hissed.  
He laughed quietly and put his hands onto her hips. "I just wanted to put it into nice words. If I told you not sugar-coated, it would probably sound more like that..." Suddenly he grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. "If you don't agree with becoming my partner, I will derezz all your remaining friends, starting with this pathetic resistance group, whereat I will especially take care of slaughtering this Kyto. Eventually there would be your favourite, your darling, Castor, of course. And if you still refuse to come to my side, I will just reprogram you. Then you will follow all my instructions voluntarily and I can do whatever I want with you!"  
Susan let her leg flick back at full tilt, kicked him hard thereby, grabbed his hand and slung him against the wall. Quickly, she took her disc from her back, holding it up threateningly as she pressed her forearm under his chin. She spoke with such an angry voice, that even her own hackles raised. "If you only lay one finger on Castor, I swear... I will kill you!"  
She tried to calm down, but only succeeded with much effort. She let go of CLU and took some steps away from him, as she put her disc on her back again. It had been a mistake to do that, an awful mistake, but she hadn't been able to control herself.  
Against her expectations, CLU laughed. It was a laughter that made a cold shiver run down her back. "You... You think you are the big heroine, but you are a nobody. You and your little User-believing friends will soon get to know the true meaning of power. You think I wouldn't harm you just because the respect of the citizens for you is too high, Arris, champion of the games? We will find that out soon! And then we will also see, if Flynn or any other User goes to your rescue when you're brokenly lying on the ground! Noone, especially not you, will keep me from creating the perfect system!"  
"This is what it's all about?! Perfection?! We already had perfection on the Grid! You destroyed it! The ISOs were-"  
"DEFECTIVE!"  
"THEY WERE A MIRACLE!" Susan panted. "Why, CLU? Why have you done all of this? Only to take a system to its maximum potential, you killed your own creator, the creator of all of you? And you make him appear as tyrant, just because he possessed the power to create? And now you even let everyone who wants to believe in him get derezzed? Why?!"  
"He must not gather strength."  
She shook her head in disbelief. "Do you hear yourself talking?! Flynn can never be a threat to you again!"  
He darkly looked at her for a moment. Then he shortly typed something into the communication console on his wrist, and a moment later Jarvis walked in.  
"Yes, sir?"  
"Take Arris to the preparing room. She has to rest before her next fight in the arena."  
Jarvis nodded and grabbed Susan's arm. She immediately cast off his hand and turned to CLU again. "Whatever you plan to do... I cope with any opponent you send after me."  
"I'll keep that in mind, man.", he said with a smile and went back to the big window.

* * *

"Castor!"  
Kyto just couldn't get past the bouncers, no matter how hard he tried. He even had explained them that he desperately had to talk to Castor, though, they rejected him. Understandable actually, after Kyto had argued loudly with the man he now wanted to speak with earlier.  
"Please, it's important!"  
But also the bouncers struggled with bring Kyto into the elevator again. He really resisted with all his strength and since the training with Arris he had become far stronger.  
"CASTOR!", he shouted as loud as he was able to, while the two men tried to drag him out. The twisted him around, so that he now had the elevator in sight. He wouldn't make it any longer, he knew that. They soon had him out of the club.  
Suddenly there came the familiar voice behind him. "What in Grid's name is going on here?"  
Kyto looked behind, spotting Zuse approaching them with an angry face.  
"Castor! I really have to-"  
"Oh, you.", Zuse said coldly as he recognised him, not making any effort to hide his resentment. "Didn't I forbid you to ever set foot into these premises again? And you." He angrily looked at the bouncers. "What am I paying you for, if you are not even able to throw such a programme out of my club?"  
"Castor, please, listen to me!", Kyto shouted desperately.  
Zuse simply gave him a look full of disgust and turned to go then.  
"Castor, please, I...!" The bouncers dragged him to the elevator again, this time even harder. "SUSAN NEEDS YOU!"  
At once, Zuse stopped and turned around. "Let go of him.", he told the visibly confused bouncers.  
Kyto panted of exertion. Zuse positioned in front of him and sternly looked into his eyes. "I do not shy away from letting you get derezzed in front of all my guests. So, if this is a joke..."  
"It's true...", he brought out. "She... she is in deep trouble..."  
"Alright...", Zuse murmured in a bitter tone and indicated with a nod that Kyto should follow him.

* * *

Zuse nervously paced up and down. "Why didn't you keep them from taking her with them?!"  
"It looked like she WANTED to go with them!", Kyto defended himself.  
He sat on a bench in Zuse's private Lounge. He had told him what had happened, hoping that this man had a good plan to help Susan. It was strange, though, since he had always Imagined Zuse to be completely different than that... More like Tron. This guy had fought for the ISOs? Had saved many programs? He couldn't believe it. But if Arris... Susan... said so...  
"That is bad...", Zuse murmured, while going behind the little bar, taking out a bottle. "That is extremely bad..." He didn't even bother pouring the liquid into a glass, just drank directly out of the bottle. Then he began to pace up and down the room again.  
"Do you... have a plan?", Kyto asked, wherefore he got punished with a look that said 'Are you serious?'.  
"Of course! I always have a plan!"  
"Ah, yes...", Kyto whispered. "Zuse always has a plan."  
Zuse stopped and looked at him for a moment. "Wonderful.", he sighed. "Oh, Susan, why didn't you keep your mouth shut..."  
Kyto stood up. "If she'd done that, I wouldn't have come to YOU!"  
"Shush! I'm thinking!" Zuse took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, he said: "Okay, I know what we have to do. We should-"  
A sudden *BEEP* from the wall behind the little bar interrupted him. Zuse walked over to it and tipped on it, so that it Lit up.  
"Castor?", a female voice was to hear.  
"Yes, Gem?"  
"I don't know if you already heard of it, but appearently the games got antedated. The next one is announced to take place in half a millicycle. Your friend Arris takes part.", she said amused.  
Zuse and Kyto exchanged confused looks.  
"Oh, I did not know that. Thank you for informing me, dearest."  
"You are welcome, Castor. I got to prepare for the games now. Bye!"  
"Bye, beautiful..."  
They remained silent for a some moments. The Kyto spoke up: "So, CLU only had her taken to him to tell her the change of plan?"  
Zuse shook his head. "Certainly not."  
"Why not?"  
"You... have no idea...", he sighed and leant with his forehead against the wall. These news let his concern about Susan become even bigger. What was CLU up to? There was something shady about the whole thing.  
"All right..." He took his glass cane, that stood next to the bar, grabbed Kyto's arm and hastened down to the club entrance.  
"Where are we going?"  
"I will go to the arena and try to find Susan before she has to fight. She surely has much to tell about the conversation with CLU. And YOU... you will inform your resistance-friends. I have the feeling they should know that one of their members is in trouble..."  
Just as Zuse wanted to get into his light roadster, Kyto said: "Hey... that I insulted you up there... I'm really sorry for that."  
Zuse thought for a moment. Them he looked at him with a smirk. "I am not."

* * *

Susan stood in the middle of a tiny room and tried to collect herself.  
Preparing room? Pah! This was a prison cell. But she didn't care, really. It was sufficient. She would only have to wait here, mentally preparing for the imminent combat. She also moved her limbs, loosened them. CLU surely had some surprises for her, she had to be ready for everything. He could send 10 sentries into the arena! Irrelevant. She would win, she knew that. She was the best fighter and she would show it to him.  
Suddenly she heard a sentry say: "She's over there. You have 10 microcycles."  
She looked to the cell entrance, which was an orange gleaming, transparent wall, and spotted Zuse standing next to a sentry who pointed at her cell.  
"What are you doing here?", she said with a lowered voice when Zuse came to a stood directly in front of this curtain of orange light.  
"I paid the sentry. And I just wanted to ask you the same question." He eyed her and let loose a relieved sigh. "Thank the Grid, you are not hurt. What happened? Kyto told me that CLU wanted to speak with you."  
She glanced at the sentry, but he stood quite far away and with the back to them. "Okay... So, CLU... made me an unethical offer. He wanted me to become his partner, reigning over the Grid together with him. He is such a megalomeniac..."  
"And after you refused this offer, he send you here?"  
"Not quite... If I refused, he threatened..." In her voice anger and concern sounded. "... he threatened to harm you and Kyto..."  
Zuse's soft laugh cheered her up a bit. "I can take care of myself, sweetheart. And I am absolutely sure that Kyto can do that, too. So do not worry about us. You should rather worry about yourself now..."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, organising a game shortly after your refusal... Doesn't sound good."  
"I'll manage.", she answered defiantly.  
"I know, but CLU surely has an ace up his sleeve. You know how devious he is. He plans something..."  
Susan thought for a moment. "Whatever it is...", she eventually said. "I will fight."  
"Promise?"  
She gave him a questioning look.  
"Do you promise me to fight against any programme CLU puts in your way? Even if they are User-believers? I mean, you pored over this topic a lot since your last combat..."  
She sighed. "Yes, that's true."  
He looked into her eyes. "Promise me. Please."  
She nodded lightly. "I promise. I will proceed against everyone in the same merciless way."  
"I didn't request that.", he breathed. "I just want that... that you will not let them derezz you."  
She smiled at him.  
Suddenly the sentry came over to them. "You have to go now. The games begin soon."  
"Of course.", Zuse answered. When he left, he turned around again. "Think of your promise in there!"


	10. 9 The Game Has Changed

**_Author's Note: Sorry, this one took some time :/ but it's totallay worth it, believe me :D Just one note: I listened to two _TRON: LEGACY_ Soundtrack tracks at this one, '_Rinzler_' and '_Fall_', the latter especially at the end. I just think that it fits and supports the atmosphere and it made it easier to imagine all of it :)_**

**_And don't worry the next chap is almost done already, so no long wait anymore :)_**

_**Now, my programs, ENJOY and PLEASE REVIEW! (I'm serious, guys, please do it, I'm desperately in need of motivation!)**_

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/The Game has changed/**

Hammering. Cheering.  
She should be used to that. But this time it was different. It was louder, harder. Or it only seemed like that to her now. They had pushed her into a circular room, whose middle she was now standing in. When the door behind her closed eventually, everything was all in black. The only light came from her own suit.  
Even though she would face up to all dangers up there, she was nervous, since she didn't know exactly what lay ahead. CLU was unpredictable. And this was his biggest advantage, since it made his opponents feel insecure.  
She heard the masses above her shout what they always shouted: "DISC WARS! DISC WARS! DISC WARS!"  
Susan knew that Zuse sat somewhere in the audience, and hopefully Kyto too, and this sustained her.  
Suddenly the ground began to vibrate and she felt how the platform she was standing on, slowly hovered upwards. The hammering became louder, just as the cheering did.  
Her heart pounded faster and Susan closed her eyes with a smile on her face.  
It was a good sign. The masses were on her side. No matter what CLU said, he couldn't just execute her in front of all those programs without having to swallow a heavy setback of his reputation. Then her death wouldn't have been for nothing, at least. But no, she would not die today.  
Above her it became brighter. She looked up and saw how the ceiling opened, revealing the full arena.  
Immediately the cheering became even louder, even stronger. The programs screamed: "ARRIS! ARRIS! ARRIS!"  
Susan smirked.  
They cheered for her. Only for her. Well, then she wouldn't disappoint them.  
The platform flew upwards and came to to a stand in the middle of the arena.  
'No boxes?', she thought. Judging from the environment it wouldn't be an ordinary fight. That was to be expected, of course.  
There the nice female voice resounded through the arena. "_Combatant, prepare for disc wars_"  
The spectators still screamed of excitement. Susan smiled. She held her hand up and the audience shouted her chosen name even louder. Glorious...  
"_Combatant 1, program Susan_"  
Her smile fell, just as the cheering.  
The masses began to whisper, what appeared earsplitting to Susan.  
What was that supposed to be?  
Suddenly a loud murmur went through the crowd. Susan frowned and looked up. The ring of light, that usually displayed the combatant's names and numbers, now revealed her true identity.

'_Susan - Copy of User SusanGifford - Leader of TheResistance_'

It was dead silent in the arena.  
CLU destroyed everything. Her last backing. He destroyed her reputation and every hope of a fair game, thereby. But maybe, maybe there was still a chance that they wouldn't believe it. Maybe...  
Suddenly the air around her platform turned into a huge, rotating screen, whereon she was to see now, how she tossed CLU against the wall, pressing her forearm under his chin and threateningly holding up her disc.  
'_I will kill you!_', she hissed, again and again, as the sequence was rewound over and over again.  
The masses let loose a shocked sound and then they began to spatter her with booing.  
Susan was speechless. With wide eyes she looked around. "It... it was not like that!", she finally brought out, but it passed unheeded.  
'All right.', she thought eventually. CLU had destroyed her esteem at the spectators, but he will never break her will. On the contrary, he had strengthened it and stirred up rage, what made her even stronger.  
The projection faded away slowly and by a *BLUM* the games were initiated.  
Impatiently and enduring the mean shouts of the masses, she waited for her opponents now, that already came flying by in four boxes. When they docked to the platform she was standing on, they conflated with it and turned to one big box with four corners.  
Sentries. Boringly normal sentries. Easy meat.  
Susan was in such a rage, that she didn't even let them a glimmer of hope. She rushed forward to the first one lightning-fast, blocked his stroke and gored him with her disc. There the second came. She dashed towards him, ducked before the collision and ran into his legs thereby, so that he flew right over her, landing hard on the ground. She would see about this one later on. For now, an other sentry was next. She hurled her disc at him, which he could barely parry off. She did a salto over him, kicking out into his back as she landed behind him, so that he fell to his knees, caught her whipping back disc and let it down into the program's shoulder quickly. She hopped over the crumbling remains, darting for another sentry. He blocked her blows with great difficulty, since they came with such force that they kept pushing him back until they came to a hole in the transparent walls of the huge box. When he began to falter at the edge of the ground, he tried to hit her a last time, but Susan just slapped his arm away. She grasped the program's throat, squeezing it tightly, choking it. She was so furious that she could could keep herself under control.  
CLU... If she got a second chance, she would grab it instantly and kill him.  
Susan stared at the sentry with a deathly cold look, then she let go of him forcefully, so that he lost balace and plunged down, smashing to pieces like china when he hit one of the hovering platforms under the huge box. There she already heard the next running over to her. Susan paused for a moment and stepped to the side quickly then, so that the sentry ran into nothing and fell off the box just like his predecessor.  
The first wave of attack was survived.  
The spectators were booing. She didn't care. She just wished that CLU himself would come down to her, so that she could slit his throat.  
"_Round 2_", the female voice announced.  
The ground in all four corners opened and Susan ran back to the middle of the huge box, so that she wouldn't share the sentries' destiny. Grimly looking she went back into fighting position, but when she saw, what CLU presented her as enemies now, she let it fall again.  
Four User-believers. They tried to hide their fear behind an ice-cold facial expression, Susan could recognise it though.  
She looked up, spotting the airship of CLU, where he was appearently watching the games from. Shaking her head, she loudly said: "I won't do it, CLU! I'm not your puppet anymore!" Then she put her disc at her back again, which was followed by a loud murmur of the crowd.  
The promise she had made to Zuse was still in her mind. She wouldn't let them kill her, no, but she wouldn't let herself get forced to slaughter innocent programs either. Not anymore. Even though she was now watching these programs taking their discs from their backs, activating them and hurling them at her with bellow.  
Skilfully she dodged each of them, jumped up, turned cartwheels and let herself fall to the ground at times, though, it was more exhausting than she'd expected. The sudden revulsions of her determination wore her out. Another disc. She jumped aside, spotting the first program run up to her. He tried to catch her from above, but she blocked his arm, taking a step back. Again and again he struck at her. And the others came now too. Susan dodged as fast as possible, blockig all their attacks. But it became too narrow for her.  
At full tilt, she opened her arms to get more free space, then she grabbed one of them at his wrist, looking into his eyes.  
"Stop it!", she shouted.  
She didn't want to hurt any of them, but as well she wanted to keep her promise to not die in here.  
"No.", the program panted. "CLU said, he'd release us if we killed you..."  
"He lied to you! He will never release you!"  
Suddenly, as though confirmation was given, orange glowing ties wrapped around all four programs and tossed them backwards, where they got pierced by sentrie's discs.  
Again, Susan was foaming with rage.  
CLU really gave his best to break her, but he wouldn't make it.  
Screaming she darted for her new enemies. All at once surrounded her, but she managed to parry all their blows and erased one after another. Though, more kept coming. It would end up as massacre, she knew it. Susan was entirely sure that she wouldn't die and that none of them would escape her.  
With her disc she gore another. She took one additional disc from a dead sentry, fighting lightning-fast with two now. Her eyes could only make out the outlines of her environment because of her rapid movements. She thrashed and kicked around and slowly the onrush of sentries thinned out, until only three were left. One of them she kicked into the side, piercing another. Then she took his derezzing head and struck it against the one of the first one, so that he collapsed, unconscious. With her own disc in her hand, she made a sharp turn and... could only stopp with widened eyes centimetres before his neck.  
Kyto stood there, staring at her disc at his neck.  
Susan couldn't think straight.  
"Arris..." He swallowed. "... Susan... please..."  
Panting, she let the disc sink slowly.  
"W-what... What are you doing here?!", she asked in shock.  
"I was on my way to get help for you, but sentries caught me. I tried to break free but they were in the majority. They took me with them and I was just sent into the arena, where I saw you fighting against so many sentries, so I attacked them too to help you."  
Just now, Susan noticed some heaps of little orange-black cubes behind Kyto.  
She sighed, letting the one disc fall to the ground and putting her own on her back, and flung her arms around his neck. Though, he pushed her away after this short hug, looking up in shock. She followed his gaze.  
At the rotating luminous combatant readout, where only Susan's name had been displayed all the time, Kyto's name lit up now. As her opponent.  
There they heard the spectators shouts. "DEREZZ! DEREZZ! DEREZZ!"  
"They want you to kill me...", Kyto whispered.  
"These buggers can wait until the cows come home. I won't-"  
Suddenly she got interrupted by a loud *PEEP*. The previously transparent walls of the huge box began to glow orange and buzzed threateningly. They moved slowly. They headed towards them.  
Kyto stared at the readout bewilderedly. "Either one of us dies..." He looked into Susan's eyes in shock. "... or both of us!"  
"CLU cannot...!" She paused for a moment, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as she stepped backwards. "Do it."  
"WHAT?" Kyto's eyes widened.  
"I won't allow that you get erased because of me, so go ahead, do it!"  
"Are you crazy?! No!"  
"Kyto...", she sighed. "You said it yourself: Either you, me or both of us. It won't turn out well, anyway. But contrary to you, I have done terrible things, killed User-believers. I have to pay for this anyway, and if I can save your life thereby, then I'll fucking grab the chance!"  
He still shook his head, while the walls came closer and closer. Susan gave him a pleading look.  
It was the only way. She had to break her promise to Zuse.  
But as she saw that Kyto still didn't move, she took her disc from her back, activating it and holding it under her chin.  
"No!" Kyto stepped forward quickly and slapped her hand away, whereupon she dealt a kick with her knee to his chest, so that he faltered backwards.  
"What the fuck are you doing?!", he shouted.  
"Erase me, dammit!"  
She threw her disc past him by a whisker. Some time he would have to fight back and then she wouldn't.  
He looked at her in shock, but eventually Kyto closed his eyes and took his disc from his back.  
Susan faded out every noise around her. The screaming of the crowd, the buzzing  
of the walls... Everything went silent for her. She watched Kyto lifting his disc with a determined look and how he shot it in her direction... and how it hit the ground in front of her, forming cracks in it.  
The spectators were booing loudly, as Kyto came over to her and kicked against the cracked ground twice until it broke. He took Susan's hand. "I won't hurt you, got it? And now c'mon, let's move!"  
She smiled. Why didn't she think of this?  
"_Violation_", the female voice resounded. "_Violation_"  
"Ladies first.", Kyto panted, painting at a hovering platform beneath the huge box. Susan jumped through the hole in the ground, landing with a roll forward on a platform beneath the hug box. Kyto followed instantly. They looked around hastily. Kyto just grabbed her hand, dragging her with him. Together they jumped down onto another platform, ignoring that their environment changed, forming a new box around them. They continued running. There would be a way out somehwhere. Kyto pulled Susan into another direction, as a transparent wall formed in front of him.  
"_Intitiate final round_"  
Susan heard a buzzing noise and turned around just at the right moment, so that the thrown disc only brushed her arm... but hit Kyto directly in his back. His shriek of pain became a clipped electronic sound and before he crumbled to little cubes, he longingly looked into Susan's eyes. Then he remained silent for good.  
Susan stared at the heap of bits on the ground with widened eyes.  
It couldn't be true. It must not be true. No, this was a dream! A nightmare! It wasn't true...  
"_Susan..."_ The crowd cheered out of pure excitement, shouting something, what Susan hoped to misunderstand. She slowly turned her head into the other direction, spotting a muscular figure with orange circuitry colour standing not far away from her. "... _versus Rinzler_"

* * *

Everything had happened so fast.  
Zuse stood there with his mouth agape. Suddenly Kyto had appeared and he knew that it spelled trouble.  
He let go of the handrail he had clung to all the time out of concern, beckoned Shaddix and the two DJs, who were standing next to him, to follow him and together with them he wormed through the cheering programs. He had to act.  
When he finally reached the stairs he had come up earlier, he heard the female voice resound: "_Violation_"  
He wanted to turn around in order to see what was happening, but there was no time to lose. Zuse rushed downstairs, passing a group of drinking programs who excitedly stared at a screen, whereupon the game was broadcast. He and the others arrived at a white corridor, where the exit of the arena was on the left side and on the right a way where Zuse had to go now.  
"Ooooh, derezzed!"  
Zuse stopped abruptly, turning to the group of programs. He ran back upstairs. He felt sick. Had something happened to Susan? He looked at the screen where the game was broadact. Susan stood there with a bewildered expression on her face. Kyto was not on view anymore... but Rinzler.  
"Dammit...", Zuse whispered, hastening down to Shaddix and the DJs again.  
He had to hurry.

* * *

Susan stared at the program.  
He had a black fighting suit with orange circuitry colour and an opaque helmet, which made him seem even more threatening. In each hand he held a disc.  
He awaited. Lurked.  
'... _They say he's stronger, faster and just better._..', Kyto had said not a daycycle ago. Susan looked behind her at the rest of her friend. '... _the best in fighting, better than Tron_...'  
"Impossible...", she murmured and looked straightforward to her opponent again.  
Suddenly he shot ahead and before she could say disc, he was already in front of her, punching her in the face so hard that she was smashed against the ground. Susan shook her head to gather herself and took her disc from her back. Just in time, she could roll over, so that she didn't get pierced by her opponent's disc. She stood up, blocking the next hard stroke with her forearm. And the next. And the next. Slowly she got pushed back.  
She barely could avoid getting killed by Rinzler. Kyto's death weakened her immensely. But that wasn't the only thing. Rinzler was so fast, so strong. And his style of fighting was... familiar.  
Finally Susan was able to steady herself and swung at him now too, though, the program didn't have any problems with defending itself.  
Suddenly an alarm sound rang out and both knew, what it meant. They ran over to the nearest transparent wall. All of the sudden, Rinzler dealt a jumping kick into her stomach, so that she flew backwards.  
Susan laid on her back, panting.  
There she got yanked from the ground, fell upwards, and crashed hard into the transparent ceiling, crying out in pain.  
She turned around and could just dodge Rinzler's disc stroke by a hairbreadth... but he slit her right arm open with his second one.  
Susan screamed, dropping her disc.  
The gaping wound reached from her shoulder to her ellbow and it quickly widened.  
This battle wouldn't take long anymore...

* * *

Zuse, Shaddix and the two DJs hastened down the corridor until they came to came to a gateway, in front of which a sentry stood.  
"You are not authorized to-"  
Zuse shot with his glass cane into the program's chest and hurried on. They arrived at a door that were guarded with two programs. As they spotted him and the others, they said: "Identify yourselves, programs!", slowly getting into a defensive position. Shaddix and the two DJs took off the discs from their backs and threw them at the sentries. One got derezzed at once, the other was able to block, but before he could even think of raising the alarm, Zuse was next to him and knocked him out with his cane. He waited impatiently, as Shaddix took the unconscious program's disc, plugging it into an input at the door, whereupon it made *PEEP* and the door opened with a hiss.  
A sentry, that stood in the dark room behind it, turned around in surprise, when he already got a shot into his head. Zuse traversed the armour room at a rapid pace, not paying any attention to the shocked group of sirens that stood at one side of the room.  
When he finally reached the huge circular room he had been looking for, he immediately walked over to a big, luminous block. Usually, here would be the boxes of the combatants, but now during the game it was entirely empty. Zuse touched the surface of the block, opening a white shimmering screen thereby, that provided all arena data, which he examined fast now. When he found, what he was looking for, he began to type in orders lightning-fast.

* * *

Susan stood up, panting, holding her injured arm.  
Even if it was pointless, she had to try fighting. Continue fighting.  
She tried to launch a blow at Rinzler with her left fist, but he just grabbed it and squezzed it tightly. Susan shrieked and gave him a kick into his stomach, which made him stumble and he let go of her hand. Quickly, she had a look at her right arm, seeing how the deresolution spread out. She concentrated on her opponent again, tried to give him a twisting kick, but he grabbed her foot lightning-fast and pushed it away with such a strength and movement, that Susan twirled through the air, before she hit the ground.  
Heavily breathing, she looked around. Susan reached for her disc that only lay some footsteps away from her, though Rinzler kicked her hand away.  
"DEREZZ! DEREZZ! DEREZZ!", the crowd screamed.  
Susan looked at the dark helmet of her opponent in dispair, who now bent over her, holding his disc up high. For a moment she closed her eyes. So many times she had counted with her own death and it never had come. Now, that she had been so sure that she would not die, it happened. Irony of fate.  
When she lifted her lids again, Susan frowned. The circuitry sign on Rinzler's chest... Her eyes widened and she looked up. His style of fighting... so familiar...  
"Tron...", she breathed.  
He smashed his disc down on her.  
Suddenly, the ground beneath her split and before she got erased by her opponent, Susan fell down screaming. She expected to dash against the arena's ground any moment, but there it opened, forming a big hole.  
Then real ground followed.

* * *

It made a loud bang at the impact.  
"Susan!" Zuse rushed to her lifeless looking body. Her circuitry colour was still glowing lightly, but they had to hurry. "Shaddix, quick!"  
Shaddix came over to them, lifted her up and he and the two DJs followed Zuse out of the arena.  
"Get her into my light roadster. You have to distract the sentries while I bring her to the club.", Zuse said hastily, as they arrived at the parking area in front of the arena. He quickly opened the door to the passanger seat, where Shaddix put Susan down cautiously.  
"You better hurry, dude.", the bearded man said and gave the DJs the sign to follow him, while Zuse got into the vehicle and instantly put the pedal to the metal.  
There wasn't much time left. Through the impact she had received more injuries and the wound on her arm had grown bigger, derezzing her entire hand already. She had to be synchronised with her original disc immediately, otherwise this would be her end.  
Whilst driving he frequently looked over to her. There he suddenly recognised that her circuitry colour had begun to flicker, getting dull.  
"Nonono! Susan! Dammit, stay with me!"  
The lights on her suit went out completely.  
"SUSAN!"


	11. 10 Reboot

_**Author's Note: Here we go again :D And don't worry, the next comes soon too!**_

_** Pirateweasel: Thanks for your Review! :D Wonderful motivation ^_^ **_

_**ENJOY, my dear programs, and PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**END OF LINE**

* * *

**/Reboot/**

_It wasn't the thunder that had woken her up. It had been someone's shout, a cry for help.  
Susan stood up lightning-fast and tried to orient herself. Where did it come from? Did her senses only play a trick on her and had it just been the echo of a fading dream in reality?  
There, loud voices. It hadn't been a dream. She hastened from her hiding place to the next corner of the building and peeked around it to the wide street. Two programs stood there, one of them squeezing a third against the wall of the building.  
"I swear, I didn't monkey with it!"  
The threatened young man had black hair and a green circuitry colour. This and the light baton in the hand of the other program pointed to the fact, that it was a mechanic.  
"Oh, really? Then why does it work crappier than before?! I couldn't even break!"  
The other one, that just stood next to them, took his disc from his back and held it under the black-haired program's chin. "We don't let ourselves get screwed over, boy..."  
Susan stepped forward. "Hey!"  
The two thugs turned to her.  
"Let go of this guy!", she said loudly and determining.  
They exchanged looks and mockingly laughed then. "You rather piss off, babe, this is not for you."  
"Oh, I wouldn't say so, man." With a grin she took a few steps towards them and took out her disc. "My friend here would love to have a closer look at it."  
He let go of the young program and looked at her, frowning. The ther raised his voice. "If you don't mind your own business at once, you'll be next!"  
"Meh, I hate to wait in line. May I come first? I mean it says: Ladies first, soo..."  
They looked at each other in confusion. Susan seized the moment and hurled her disc at them. They barely could dodge. Buzzing, it flew back into her hand.  
"Is she mad?!", one hissed to the other. Then he took his disc from his back.  
"You asked for it, doll! Now we finish you off!"  
"Hell, yeah, I wanna see you try, sweety!", she laughed.  
They ran towards her. Susan steadied her foothold, trying to remember the training with Tron rapidly.  
'Let them make the first move', he had always said.  
There the first blow came already. She blocked it with her forearm and dodged the next one quickly, kicking with her knee into the first program's stomach and striking backwards with her ellbow, but she missed her target. She had never fought against two at the same time, whereby concetrating on both seemed extremely exhausting to her now.  
One kicked against her thigh, trying to bring her out of balance thereby, bit her foothold prevented it. She saw about the other meanwhile, giving him a hook to the chin and pushing him away from her with her other hand. She grabbed the arm of the other, who had just been about to strike at her, spun around, twisting the arm thereby. The program cried out and went down with one last blow. Suddenly, Susan spotted the other that she had pushed away earlier dashing forward. Instinctively, she jumped up and kicked the program's chest with the entire power of her two legs. She landed with a roll backwards on the ground, so that it looked like if this short stunt hadn't taken any strength of her, even if it was the opposite.  
Again in fighting position, she watched the programs pick themselves up.  
"C'mon, let's scram!", one of them gasping. He grabbed his partners arm and they ran off.  
"Yeah, and you rather don't show up at this level anymore!", Susan shouted, trying to repress her panting. She took some deep breaths and turned around then.  
At the same spot like earlier the black-haired program stood, staring at her with mouth agape. Slowly she came over to him.  
"Are you okay?", she asked with a smile.  
"Yeah..." He eyed her shortly. Then he took a deep breath and said with spärlich eyes: "THAT WAS AMAZING! How you just fought these guys, like PAM PAM and then this mind-blowing kick at the end! WOW!"  
Flattered she looked to the ground. "Uh... Thanks." When she looked up again, she realised something. "Where's your disc?"  
He gave her a look full of pride. "We revolutionaries refuse to wear discs. There are rumours that CLU controls them."  
She nodded. She had heard about that. It surely was nonsense, the thing with the control, but declaring ones revolutionary spirit thereby appealed to her.  
"What was wrong here, actually?", she asked.  
"Oh, these guys said, I've manipulated their bikes at the reparation. I didn't, of course. If they had problems with driving, then they should work on their own damn skills first!"  
Susan laughed. She hadn't laughed for a long time. She liked this program right away.  
He looked into her eyes. "I am Kyto. What's your name?"  
She would like to tell this program her real name, but too much distrust had accumulated the last cycles. So she just drew on the name, she had already used as emergency lie several times. "Arris."  
He looked into her eyes. "I am Kyto. What's your name?"  
"I am Kyto. What's your name?"  
"I am Kyto."  
"Kyto"  
Kyto_

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up jerkily. Her breath was fast. Everything around her was spinning, her view was blurry.  
_Kyto_. _Kyto_. His name resounded in Susan's head. The dream of when they had met the first time caused a strong headache.  
Where was she? What had happened?  
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her wince.  
"Calm down, precious...", Zuse whispered, stroking over her cheek.  
The dizziness died down and her view became clear. Panting, she looked at her friend. "...Kyto...?", she brought forth.  
Zuse hesitated, then looked to the ground sadly. "He did not have a backup. There is nothing we can do..."  
She closed her eyes. Her system was appearently only rebooting, whereby she could not feel anything at the moment, what she was quite grateful for.  
"Here..." She looked at Zuse again. "Drink this."  
He held a little glass vial out to her, wherein luminous white liquid gurgled. She took it from him and drank it at one swallow. It was burning in her throat, making her cough. "What the hell is that?!", she rasped.  
"Pure energy.", Zuse answered, smiling. "One should always drink it after a reboot."  
Reboot... So she really had had a total system crash. But then?  
"What happened?", she asked.  
Before he spoke, he eyed her with a caring look. "As you know, I have been at this... 'game'. When I saw Kyto, I knew, something would go terribly wrong and me and the others immediately went down to the arena-system control, in order to-"  
"Wait.", she interrupted him. "Aren't there lots of sentries?"  
"Were. There WERE sentries.", Zuse said with a grin. Then he became serious again. "Anyway, I searched for your current position, to find a way to get you out of there. Unfortunately, I only found one way. Down. After your impact, we had bundled you into my light roadster and I brought you here as fast as possible..."  
Zuse paused for a moment. Susan looked at him, but he just looked away in thoughts.  
"Zuse? Are you okay?", she asked with concern.  
He looked into her eyes. "You nearly died. In the light roadster your... your system shut down. I could not do anything. You did not have a disc, where I could remedy the defects in your code. I just drove as fast as I could, brought you up here and synchronised your original disc with you, whereupon your system booted up suddenly... But if I had needed more time..." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I felt so helpless... Watching you die and knowing that I cannot help you instantly, was... I... I was so scared..."  
Susan took his hand, feeling how it shivered slightly. "Calm down...", she said and smirking, added then: "... precious."  
Zuse laughed lightly, relaxing again. He took her face into his hands with a sigh. "You have no idea how happy I am that you are still alive."  
Suddenly a quiet beep rang out, making Zuse look away startled. After a short moment of silence, he exhaled angrily. "I forgot to close off the club in this hurry..." He stood up, took his cane and went to the exit of the lounge.  
"Wait!" Susan wanted to stand up too, but Zuse came to her, pushing her down on her shoulders lightly.  
"What's wrong?", she asked excitedly.  
"There's someone in the elevator..."  
"What? Who?"  
Again, she tried to get up, but he didn't let her.  
"Susan, stop. Keep your seat. We cannot know, who is coming up here. If it's one of CLU's people, they must not find you. I will not allow you to get into such danger again. So, for Grid's sake, do what I say just once in your life! And I say: Stay. Right. Here. Is that understood?"  
She nodded lightly.  
Zuse looked into her eyes for a moment and walked down into the club then.  
As Susan waited, she got ever more nervous. What if it's really CLU's pleople? Would Zuse be able to fight them off? Or would she come in time to go to his rescue?  
Suddenly she heard voices.  
"What are YOU doing here?", she heard Zuse say.  
"Do you have a clue where Arris, I mean Susan, could be, Castor?"  
Kurtz. The resistance member came because of her. She stood up, leaning against the wall with closed eyes for a moment to let the dizziness, that immediately had afflicted her, die away. Though, this exactly woke the defiance inside herself. She didn't want to feel weak. She had to check if she had forfeited any of her abilities after this reboot. So she took a run-up and jumped down to the club with a salto.  
Susan landed in a squatting position directly in front of Kurtz and two other programs of the resistance.  
"Arris!"  
Susan heard Zuse sigh behind her.  
"Didn't I just ask you for something?"  
She turned to him. "I'm sorry. I heard that it's the resistance, so I thought there'd no danger anyway."  
He raised an eyebrow, strolled around the big bar then and began to mix a drink for himself, in order to let her talk to her colleagues undistrubed.  
"The danger isn't over yet.", Kurtz said seriously. "You are wanted. Sentries comb the city. It's only a matter of time until they'll be here."  
Susan exchanged a concerned look with Zuse. Both were aware of the fact that CLU knew about their friendship. So he probably would be here even earlier than these programs here expected.  
"What shall we do? Shall I retire to the lower levels?", she asked Kurtz.  
"I think, that's not enough. CLU turns the whole city topsy-turvy, only to find you..."  
"So, what would you suggest?"  
"You should leave Tron City."  
"But that's not that easy! The other cities are equally occupied by CLU's troops, probably get watched even more intensely than the lower levels here since these incidents with this renegade and the uprisings. There's no hiding place!"  
"That's not quite correct."  
They turned to Zuse, who had spoken. He looked at his just prepared drink thoughtfully. "Zuse knows a program in Argon City who would certainly house you and where CLU would not find you."  
"Great!", Susan said.  
"Hey, hey, not so fast!" Kurtz pulled her closer to himself, whispering: "We can't trust him..."  
"I can hear you perfectly, dear.", Zuse said amused, nipping on his drink with a grin.  
Susan looked into Kurtz' eyes. "If there's someone I trust, then Castor. We should listen to him."  
The program looked up to Zuse, then to Susan again. "Alright...", he grunted eventually.  
"But how can we get you there?", one of the other resistance members asked. "The main streets get controlled all the time!"  
Susan thought about it for a moment. When no solution came to her mind, though, she turned to Zuse, seeking for help.  
He smiled lightly. "I will ask Zuse. After all, he is familiar with such refugee situations."  
"You bring us to Zuse?"  
"Oh, sweetheart...", Zuse laughed, slipped around the bar and positioned himself in front of the members of the resistance. "Of course not. If I always lead dependants of the refugee to him, the entire city would know him in no time."  
Kurtz looked at him angrily, which Zuse didn't care about at all. "And since she has to do a runner as soon as possible, I recommend you leave now, in order that I can bring her to Zuse, okay?"  
The three exchanged confused looks, before Kurtz nodded shortly.  
Susan looked at him with a smile. "I guess, we won't meet for a long time, guys. So, good bye, my friends."  
She hugged each of them before they left. As soon as the elevator doors closed, she turned to Zuse. "So, what's your plan?"  
"You know, the trouble is I must not give you a forged disc, whereby we cannot simply smuggle you through the normal controls.", he said, while hurried up to his lounge, Susan following. "After such a system crash it'd be highly inadvisable to replace the original disc. You will have to travel markedly more uncomfortable, dearest. An ordinary solar sailer for freights will have to suffice. But I know that luxury is not important to you, anyway."  
He touched the wall to his left and a drawer opened with a quiet hiss. He took a transparent circular pane out of it, before it closed again.  
"I'll load some kind of protection onto your disc, so that it will be more difficult to read in it."  
She took her disc from her back, Handling it to Zuse, who put the pane onto the disc and went behind the little bar with it.  
While he deployed an upgrade through the pane to her now opened disc codes, Susan asked: "Where can I find this program you where talking about?"  
Without looking up he answered: "You will find him in a club near the big mechanic hall. There aren't too many clubs in Argon City. You will not miss it, darling."  
"In a club? There certainly will be many programs. Don't you think I'll be recognized there?"  
"I believe the hype about you is not that big outside of Tron City. I would advise you to keep a low profile, though."  
"And how can i recognize him? Or her?"  
"Him." He peered into her codes. Everything was so much more complicated with Susan's than with other source codes. "If you go into this club and take a look around... Trust me, you will recognize him."  
After a short check over the visual display of her codes, he handed her the disc.  
"Are you good friends with him?"  
He laughed bitterly. "No! Not in a long time."  
"Then I shouldn't mention you..."  
"Yes, you should mention me, otherwise he certainly will not help you."  
"But... I thought you two aren't friends?"  
As he went down to the elevator, he held up his hand. "It's... complicated. But, knowing him..." He sighed. "He will tell you everything at once, even though it's extremely tactless."  
Susan stopped, looking at Zuse in concern. "And what if I can't find him? What if I get recognized and brought back? What if everything goes wrong?"  
He looked to the ground in thoughts. Then he looked into her eyes again. "Don't worry, Susan. It will run smoothly."  
"How do you know?"  
"It MUST work..."  
Suddenly the elevator doors opened and Shaddix and the two DJs of the EOLC entered the club.  
"Castor!"  
Zuse looked at the bartender in confusion. "What's wrong?"  
"Some are getting nervous. You haven't been available all the time and there are already many programs put there, waiting for the 'Afterlife'-Party..."  
Susan remembered that Zuse always threw a party after the games in the arena, some kind of after-show party, where the name 'Afterlife-Party' had become established over the cycles. If it's coherent to the killed programs in the arena, she didn't know.  
"I understand...", Zuse said thoughtfully.  
"Do you want me to tell them to piss off, boss?", Shaddix asked, covering his right fist with the other hand and letting them klick.  
"No, there's no need for that. Get the rest of the staff and prepare everything. Tell the waiting guests, that it will begin soon. Come up with a plausible explanation for the delay, something like... a hack attack similar to that in the arena. And you..." He pointed at the two DJs. "The programs have to forget the... disappointment of the fight in the arena, so..." He grinned. " ... Go full blast, boys!"  
All three nodded. Zuse took Susan's hand and hurried into the elevator with her. "Oh, and you did not see her, of course."  
"Didn't see whom?", Shaddix laughed.  
Susan turned around, smiling at them lovingly. "Thanks, guys. I'll miss you so much."

* * *

She had never been here before.  
Here, at the lowest of Tron City's levels, was the 'centre of the circuits', all fluxes of energy came together here, and from here the solar sailers were navigated.  
"So, like this you have been able to bring all those programs out of the city...", she marvelled, looking around in amazement. The hangar was huge. There were countless vehicles and freights got loaded everywhere. Though, there weren't many programs down here.  
Zuse took her by the hand and pulled her with him, which interrupted her thoughts.  
"Come, we have to hurry.", he just said.  
They rushed to a container. Suddenly Zuse stopped, holding Susan back with his arm. He peeked around the corner, spotting two sentries that had a conversation. They waited for a moment. Then he nodded and they scurried to the next container.  
They continued doing this until they came to the solar sailer Zuse had chosen for her.  
There were no programs standing around it. Noone was watching them.  
"Please, hold it for me, sweetheart." Zuse passed her his glass cane, positioned in front of the navigation console of the solar sailer and began to hack into its system. In a split second, he was finished and changed the sailer's route.  
Susan looked around shortly. No sentries. She looked over Zuse's shoulder. His fingers moved more slowly now, until he stopped typing entirely.  
On the screen of the console white luminous letters appeared:

**Destination: ARGON CITY**

Telling by the loud noises that emerged now, the solar sailer got prepared for the departure.  
"Well...", Susan sighed.  
"Well...", Zuse murmured bitterly, gazing at the solar sailer.  
Susan looked to the ground sadly. "I guess it's time to say farewell now, right?"  
He didn't say anything, just kept staring into nothing.  
"Zuse, I..." Susan felt a deep trepidation coming over her. "... I just want to thank you. Not only that you saved my life... again... but also for everything else. The last 5 cycles were awesome, even though... many things didn't go as good as I wanted them to go."  
Zuse smiled, closing his eyes.  
Susan waited for him to say something, but he didn't. She sighed. "Well, then..."  
He looked at her gravely. "How long do you think will it take?"  
"Until we meet again?"  
He nodded lightly.  
Susan thought about it. After the Purge it had taken 144 cycles until they got together again. But how much time would pass now? She gave him the only answer, of what she knew was absolutely correct: "A long time. A far too long time."  
Zuse bit his bottom lip, looking to the ground for a moment. Then he looked up again with a smile. "Take care of yourself, my dear."  
She instantly noticed that this was just his pokerface, that he actually wanted to say much more. She didn't like that he didn't admit it, since it gave her the feeling that her absence wouldn't affect him at all, even though the the opposite was the case.  
"Good bye.", she said, embraced him shortly and walked over to the solar sailer.  
The embracement. For a short, a really short moment she had thought that he wouldn't release her, which would have made her happy. Though, it hadn't last for long. But why was she acting like a child now? If she wanted something, she couldn't just wait until the other would do it. They wouldn't see eachother for such a long time, perhaps never again. She knew exactly that the words were on the tip of his tongue, the words, she should have said at their separation 150 cycles ago.  
There Susan stopped abruptly and turned around.  
Zuse was still standing there, gazing after her with a sorrowful expression.  
"Tell me...", she raised her voice and sighed. "Why doesn't anyone of us have the courage to say what we actually think in this situation? Even though they can't change anything, I want to hear the two words I know you're thinking about. Two words, Zuse, two damn words..."  
He stared at her sadly, though didn't say anything.  
Susan waited for a moment. Then she closed her eyes, turning to the solar sailer again.  
Just as she wanted to put her foot onto the first step of the stairs that lead up to the sailer, she heard Zuse calling behind her: "Don't go!'  
She turned her head, seeing him starring at her longingly and forming the word 'Please' with his lips. She couldn't hold it anymore. Quickly, she ran back to him, directly into his arms and kissed him passionately.  
"There has to be another way...", he breathed after the kiss.  
"You know that there's no other way...", she answered sobbing slightly.  
"Yes, I know..."  
He pressed her against himself.  
How should he cope without her? How did he bear those 144 cycles without her? She had become his best friend, his closest confident. There was no program he could tell all his thoughts but her. The farewell seemed so much more difficult than all this time ago.  
As Susan opened her eyes slightly, she spotted a sentry further afar. She pushed Zuse away lightly, giving him a tearful glance.  
"I got to go now."  
"I know, precious, I know...", he whispered. "Just promise me one thing." He leant his forehead against hers. "Stay alive."  
She nodded, looking into his beautiful silver eyes once again and ran up to the solar sailer then.  
When she reached the top, she watched Zuse, how he typed some orders into e console and a moment later she felt the vibration of the floor, felt that the vehicle was moving.  
Just as long as possible she looked after Zuse.  
Only now she noticed that there was sheer chaos in her mind. Everything had happened so fast. From one second to the other, she was leaving the city, where she had lived for more than 450 cycles, 450 years, had left everything behind to get into safety. And everything that had happened before that...  
No! She must not think about it now. Not yet. She had to keep a cool head and concentrate on the moment, until she was save completely.  
So she thought hard now.  
What was the program's name she had to flee to? Zuse had mentioned it in the elevator. But what was it again?  
Then she remembered.  
Yes, he would help her.  
Eckert would help her.

* * *

_**Author's Note: YEEEEES, IT'S ECKERT! :DDD**_ _**Look forward to some more epicness ^_^**_


End file.
